


through & through

by bettsvirtue



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Abuse, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Past Sexual Abuse, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-07-24 21:42:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 27,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16183739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bettsvirtue/pseuds/bettsvirtue
Summary: Tessa is the single mom of a five-year-old girl and she had a terrible falling out with her ex-husband. She takes her daughter to a skating class with Olympic medalist and legendary coach, Scott Moir. They hit it off and slowly fall for each other, but not without her ex having something to say about it.





	1. introducing me

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first multi-chapter project that I would actually consider a multi-chapter. This project was a long time coming and I am so happy to say that I am so proud of the work that I’ve done. This is not going to be an easy task, but nothing in life is ever easy, right? Thank you to my beautiful sister Hannah for helping me bridge together the small gaps that have turned this story into something totally new and brilliant. And of course, all of my love for my mama bear Becky. I hope all of the late hours that I would keep you up discussing chapter ideas prove to be worth it! I love you both more than words. Please stay tuned as I will do my best to update regularly. Thank you all for reading, stay tuned for chapter 2!

“Are we there yet, mommy?”

 

Ever since Tessa’s 5-year-old daughter Lily went on a field trip to the ice skating rink, she would not stop talking about it and she insisted that she take lessons, so she can be “the bestest ice skater that ever lived.” And as soon as she saw that the Ilderton Ice Rink 15 minutes from her London home was offering lessons for kids 4-7, she knew she had to sign Lily up right away.

 

“2 more minutes, my love! Are you excited?”

 

“Yes, yes, yes! I can’t wait to skate again, mama!”

 

They finally pulled into the parking lot of the rink and they walked through the automatic doors to the chill of the ice. They go to the front desk, sign Lily in, and she puts on her skates, waiting for the “celebrity instructor” that the flyer promised. After about 10 minutes, the instructor comes out to introduce himself. Saying that he was a celebrity would be an understatement.

 

Never in a million years would Tessa have expected Scott Moir, 3-time Olympic gold medalist in men’s figure skating, to walk through the door. He was virtually Canadian royalty and always one of her favorites to watch every time the Olympics rolled around. Not to mention, he was not too bad on the eyes.

 

“Hello, everyone! Thank you all for coming today! My name is Scott Moir and it is the pleasure of a lifetime to be coaching these little ones to be Canada’s biggest and brightest future Olympians. Are you guys ready to get started?” The answer to his question was given in the form of a high pitched “YES!” from the kids scattered around the room.

 

“Bye, mommy! Make sure you watch me!” Lily looked at up at her mom with a toothy grin and Tessa responded with a kiss on her forehead.

 

“Of course, sweet girl. I will always be here for you.” Lily penguin-waddled her way over to the ice and skated right to the middle with no hesitation, waiting for her next instruction from her teacher. Tessa looks along from the boards with a smile at her little girl.

 

-

 

Following the hour designated for the lesson, the kids all came off the ice and found their parents.

 

“Mom! Did you see me?” Lily said, slightly out of breath, but her enthusiasm ever-present.

 

“Yes, I did! You did so good!” Tessa lifted Lily up and gave her a kiss on the cheek while she rested on her hip. Tessa listened to everything Lily had to say about her time on the ice before they were interrupted.

 

“Hello, are you Lily’s mom?” said by the one and only Scott Moir. Tessa put Lily down and she quickly ran off to talk to one of the friends she had made. She put out her hand for him to shake it.

 

“Hi, yes, I’m Tessa. Tessa Virtue. It’s very nice to meet you. Lily and I are very big fans!”  Tessa shook his hand and met his gaze.

 

“I just wanted to introduce myself and say that Lily here was absolutely incredible today. She is further ahead than just about every kid here.” Scott said, his hand still in hers.

 

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you. She used to skate, but she doesn’t anymore.”

 

“That’s unfortunate. Why is that?”

 

“She…. Um…. Well...” Before Tessa can continue, she gets interrupted by Lily’s tiny body hugging her leg.

 

“Can we go home, mommy? I wanna read my new story!” said Lily, eager to crack open the new bedtime storybook that Tessa brought home for her from the bookstore.

 

“Yeah, we’ll leave right now, lovebug.” Tessa turned her attention away from Lily and back to Scott. “I guess will be seeing you tomorrow.”

 

“I’m looking forward to it.” Scott replied, slowly loosening his fingers from around her hand that refused to let go of his. They stared at each other for a few more seconds, a connection forming that neither of them could quite put into words. It continued for what felt like hours before Tessa felt a tug on her long sweater.

 

“Mommyyyy, can we please go home?”

“Yeah, we’re leaving right now. We’ll see you tomorrow, Scott. Say bye to Mr. Scott!”

 

“Bye, Mr. Scott! Thank you for teaching me!” Lily runs over and hugs Scott’s leg just as hard as she was hugging Tessa’s.

 

“See you tomorrow, kiddo.”  Tessa tensed at the nickname that only she and Lily understood. Lily slowly backed off his leg and ran towards her mom empty hand and grabbed it.

 

“Bye, Scott. Thank you.” Lily and Tessa started their walk towards the doors with both of their heads hung low. Scott didn’t know what he said or did that made them back away from him as if he had some sort of disease, but he shook it off and finished making his rounds to the other parents and wishing everyone a good night. He didn’t know what it was about Tessa Virtue or her daughter that intrigued him so much, but, he couldn’t wait for tomorrow.


	2. how to be nice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should’ve made this clear in the first chapter notes, but, my Twitter is @bettsvirtue if anybody wants to give me suggestions for the story or yell at me about anything that takes place :) as always, please leave lots of love and comments!! stay tuned ❤️

Tessa was dressing Lily for her second day of the Scott Moir skating camp and she was just as excited as she was yesterday. Skating was always something that Lily loved and she was so happy that she had the opportunity to get to do it again.

 

“Can I wear my big puffy pink jacket please?” Lily asks her mother.

 

“Of course, my love. Let’s go get it from your closet, yeah?” Tessa lifts Lily into her arms and they walk to her closet until they find said puffy pink jacket and Lily practically rips it off the hanger and jumps out of Tessa’s arms to put it on.

 

“Are you excited to skate again today, angel?” Tessa asks.

 

“Yes, momma! I am excited to see Mr. Scott again! He said I was the best skater our there!” Tessa stops dressing Lily and puts her hands on the knees that pointed upwards in her current squatting position.

 

“Did he now?”

 

“Yup! He said I was the cutest one out there too!” Tessa couldn’t help but smirk at his comment, nonetheless shaking it off and continuing to dress her and drive her to the rink.

 

Tessa was always early, in this case, 10 minutes early. Someone told her once that it was always better to be early than late (it was probably her mom, but that’s neither here nor there) so she constantly made sure to wake up a little earlier every day so she could get ready for whatever was taking place that day with time to spare. There were two other kids waiting for class to start, Lily running to them right away, always admiring her daughters outgoing nature and willingness to make friends. She certainly didn’t get that from her embarrassingly introverted mother. While Scott was making the rounds introducing himself to parents, he looks up for a second and catches Tessa’s eye. He does a double take, as if to make sure that she was in fact staring at him since they walked in. He shoots her a small smile and she responds with a wink, saying everything she wanted to but nothing at all at the same time. By the time Scott was done talking to everyone he wanted to, he made an announcement to round up all the tiny skaters that were scattered throughout the waiting area.

 

“Alright guys, everybody take center ice! I’ll meet you out there!” And just like that, all of the young ones were removing their skate guards, forcing them into their parents’ hands, and penguin waddling to the ice. Scott stood before the lip of the ice, removing his guards while balancing on one foot at a time. While placing them on the boards, he glances over at Tessa again, returning the wink she sent to him minutes before. Tessa cuddled up into her jacket further, forcing herself to keep the insane amount of affection she felt for this man at bay.

 

-

 

The kids had been skating for close to an hour now and they were at their last 5-minute break of the day. Lily refused a break for water or to stretch her legs, claiming that she “never needed a break.” Scott took notice of her being the only kid still standing in the center of the ice when he called for a break and skated over to her, kneeling down to reach her small body. He grabbed a spare water bottle and brought it over with him.

 

“What’s up, little one? Don’t you want some water?” He reached his hand with the bottle in it in her direction.

 

“Nope! I don’t need any. I am ready to learn more right now!” She put her hand on the bottle and pushed his hand back in. Scott laughed at her enthusiasm.

 

“I love how excited you are, Lily. Have you ever skated before?” Lily made no hesitation before answering his question.

 

“Mommy used to take me to skate, but Daddy never let her take me. He always said it was a bad word.” She whispered those last 3 words, as if referencing a bad word was a bad word in itself. Scott frowned and contemplated for a moment before responding.

 

“Why is that?”

 

“I dunno. Mommy said that Daddy was mean and he had to go learn how to be nice again.” Scott would have never thought that this was such a big can of worms that he was opening based on the way Lily was talking about it, but he knew he didn’t want to make this conversation any longer than it had to be.

 

“I’m sorry, Lily. Hey, what do you say we get to learning again?” Lily nodded with an ear-to-ear smile before Scott leaned down to kiss her bright pink beanie.

-

 

Their class concluded smoothly and all of the tots skated off the ice and wobbled back to their parents. Lily ran as fast as she could over to her mom and squeezed her leg.

 

“I was going to ask if you had fun, but I think I already know the answer to that.” Tessa laughed and sat on the bench they were standing by, patting the empty space next to her, encouraging Lily to sit down so she could put the guards on her tiny skates.

 

“Today was the best skating day ever, mama! I think Mr. Scott really likes me.” Tessa giggled at her response, finding it not so coincidental that the man that appeared to be taking a liking to her was doing the same with her daughter. Lily was quite outstanding at skating, if this proud mother didn’t say so herself. Although, she knew Lily didn’t mind the extra praise and Tessa certainly didn’t either, anything that made her daughter happy worked for her. Once Tessa put Lily’s guards on, she ran over to a few of her friends, different ones than she was talking to when they first got here. Right as Lily reached her friends, she caught a tall, dark, and handsome man coming into her vision. Scott walked up to Tessa, to which she stood up so she could meet his eyes a little better.

 

“Hello again.”

 

“Hi there. Lily loves skating with you so much. Thank you for making her so happy.” Tessa gushed.

 

“It’s been my pleasure. It’s such a shame to hear that her dad wouldn’t let her skate. She has a true gift.” Tessa immediately tensed up. How would he know anything about Lily’s father? Even if he did know, why would he bring it up to her?

 

“I’m sorry… what?” She asked, clearly taken aback by what he has just said.

 

“Lily told me that her father wouldn’t take her to skate because he said it was a ‘bad word,’” emphasizing the words with air quotes. “And he had to leave to learn how to be nice again.” Any inkling of emotion on Tessa’s face disappeared at this, becoming even more pale than she already was, if that was even possible. She could never be mad at her daughter, she never even wanted her to get involved in the situation with her ex-husband, but her spilling such personal information to Scott broke her heart into millions of small pieces. For the time being, however, Tessa was somehow angry at Scott for forcing her to bring these suppressed memories back to the forefront.

 

“Lily’s father is none of your business. Our personal life has nothing to do with you, Scott.”

 

“Tessa, I’m sorry, I knew it was a sore subject, but I didn’t-”

 

“If you knew it was a sore subject, then it never should have been brought up again. Lily and I have to go now.” Tessa ran over and grabbed Lily’s hand as she was making her way back to her and quickly led her to the car, not looking back at the eyes she could feel searing into her. Scott stared at the automatic doors closing behind them as they left, feeling too many different emotions. The primary emotion being pure and utter sadness. He knew that any situation that involved a divorce must have been hard. He himself had never experienced anything like that, but the horror stories he’s heard forced him to assume things. He knew he had to make this right in the 3 days he had left of camp and he would do whatever he could to get Tessa Virtue to even look at him the way she used to again.

 

-

 

“And he had the audacity to bring up her father, Kel. Her father? That is absolutely none of his business.” After Tessa tucked Lily into bed, she called her best friend, Kelly, and aired out her problems through choked sobs. Tessa and Kelly were both Canadian representatives for Vogue magazine, meeting each other at their mutual first day on the job. They clicked instantly, and have been friends for almost 8 years now, Kelly sticking by Tessa through every up and down that she has faced.

 

“You know he didn’t mean it, T. You gotta cut this man some slack. You said he was cute, right?”

 

“That doesn’t matter right now, Kelly. I can’t help but feel like I’m forcing this huge burden on my daughter that no child should ever have to go through. This whole thing just reminded me of memories that I could have gone the rest of my life not remembering.” The sobbing was starting to calm down as Kelly helped bring Tessa to her senses, something she always managed to do, no matter the circumstances.

 

“I know this sucks, I know he sucks, but they’re both in the past now. Don’t take this all out on Scott because he’s the first person you came across. Apologize to him for mama bear coming out and go get your mans back!” Tessa laughs and wipes at her cheeks, trying to end this pity party she is throwing for herself.

 

“I love you, Kel. Thanks for screwing my head back on straight.”

 

“I love you more. Get some rest and call me tomorrow.” They hung up and Tessa knew that Kelly was right. Not a day went by where she didn’t think of her no longer existent relationship with her ex-husband, but the fact that the person that she could see as a potential future partner was the one to force these memories back was just not sitting well with her. She would apologize to Scott and quote on quote “get her mans back” because if anyone was going to make her happy in the near future, she was determined to make it him.


	3. the calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as usual, @bettsvirtue for all your questions/comments/concerns :) leave lots of love and comments!

Wednesday and Thursday’s days of camp went by just as quickly as they came. Tessa still had not spoken to Scott in those 2 days, though. She was no longer mad at him, her overwhelming emotion currently being disappointment. She had no reason to by disappointed in Scott, he didn’t know what he was doing by mentioning her ex-husband to her. She just couldn’t bring herself to have whatever conversation they would have if she talked to him again. They shared glances and rigid eye contact, but neither of them seemed to be making an effort to extend the olive branch to the other.

 

Friday came around and the students would be performing a small number that they had been working on the whole week for family and friends. Tessa knew she couldn’t go to this alone, so, she called Kelly and practically begged her to take time out of her busy work week to come to the performance with her. Kelly agreed, deciding that a day off every once and a while wouldn’t hurt anyone. Lily’s outfit today would consist of a tiny t-shirt with the words “Scott Moir Skating Camp” on the front and her name on the back, along with a long sleeve underneath and some simple black leggings, going for comfort over style for this outfit. They arrived at camp only a couple minutes after the 10 minutes early mark and Lily immediately felt late, seeing only a few more kids there than there usually would be at their early time. If there was one thing that Tessa could say made her proud as a mom, it was her daughters’ timeliness. Now that she could say was all her. Kelly and Tessa took their seats on the bleachers in the watching area, getting as close as possible to the ice. Scott was doing his typical politician-esque duties, shaking hands, introducing himself to parents, praising their kids no matter how bad they actually might have been. Scott let the kids stay on the ice and talk while he managed to speak to every parent. Every parent but Tessa. Kelly and Tessa were sitting side by side, Tessa using Kelly as a security blanket from Scott’s stares. Following his eye contact with Tessa that Kelly couldn’t help but notice, she scolded her for still somehow managing not to speak to him.

 

“You need to talk to him, Tess. That man is fit, good with kids, and fantastic on the eyes? I wouldn’t risk letting him be a single man for much longer.” Tessa playfully hit Kelly on the thigh before speaking.

 

“Even if he is single, before anything else, I need to apologize. I was rude to him for no reason and he didn’t deserve that.” No other words were exchanged between the ladies except for a glance and a smirk from Kelly, saying everything she needed to with her eyes alone. He walked on the ice after another brief moment of eye contact with her, plastering on a bright smile before beginning his speech.

 

“Hello everyone! Once again, my name is Scott Moir and it has been the honor and pleasure of my life to teach these little ones about one of my favorite things in the world. We have put together a little something for you and we all hope you enjoy! Thank you!” A variety of claps echoed throughout the rink while he skated back to the kids and said something to them before they got into their V formation, Lily being at the point. She was not sure if that was some tactic to butter Tessa up, but, Scott Moir would know who the best skaters in the class are and if that just so happened to be Lily, then more power to all of them.

 

Their performance concluded after close to a minute, each child having a few seconds to shine. Lily used her couple seconds of fame to do an elegant spin, her arms outstretched like a caterpillar coming out of the cocoon, extending its butterfly wings. Tessa teared up at her daughter, being so ecstatic that she finally had the opportunity to do what she once loved again. If it was up to Tessa, she would have never let her stop skating as soon as she fell in love with it. Although, external forces that she would rather not discuss forced her to stop taking Lily to the rink. Lily came off the ice and ran into her mother’s arms, Tessa barely having enough time to squat down to meet her short figure.

 

“You did so good, princess! I’m so proud of you.” Tessa says.

 

“Thank you, momma! Did you see my spin?” Lily exclaims excitedly.

 

“Yes, I did. You looked beautiful.” Tessa grabbed her small face and squeezed her cheeks together before kissing her on the tip of her nose. Once Tessa releases the hold on her daughter, Kelly swoops in and starts kissing Lily all over the place and tickling her tummy.

 

“Good job, Lils. I should come watch you skate more often, eh?” Lily nodded brightly and Kelly grabbed her into her arms for a “squishy hug,” as the three of them liked to call it. As Kelly and Lily began to separate, the three girls looked up and caught sight of the man that has been on all of their minds in one way or another for the past week. Scott towered over them and smiled a timid smile before speaking up.

 

“Hello, ladies. Would it be okay if I spoke to Tessa privately for a minute?” Kelly spoke up before Tessa had the chance to say anything.

“Oh no, no problem at all. Come on, Lil, let’s go get some hot chocolate.” She lifted Lily into her arms and shot Tessa a wink before walking with her to the concession stand. They stood there in a short silence before starting to talk at the same time.

 

“Look, Tessa-”

 

“Scott, I-” They both caught what they had done and quietly laughed.

 

“Can I please start?” He questioned with a softness about him that she didn’t know he could have. Although, if Tessa didn’t start speaking up soon, she didn’t know if she ever would.

 

“No, me. Scott, I’m so sorry for snapping on you. You didn’t know any better and I should never have talked to you like that. You didn’t deserve that.”

 

“Actually, I kind of did. I knew exactly what situation your family was in as soon as Lily told me and I should have known not to bring up such a sensitive topic again. I am really, really sorry, Tessa.” She smiled and nodded at him, crossing her arms in front of her stomach. Now that she had apologized and said what she needed to, she didn’t know what else say. Evidently, neither did he. After what could have been minutes of silence, he breaks it.

 

“Are you busy at all next week?”

 

Tessa froze. She knew how she felt about him; this man was an absolute sweetheart, was so friendly, and Lily liked him, which was the most important part. If she saw herself having a future with this man, Lily liking him was even more important to her than her own feelings and Lily could just not stop gushing about Scott. But, when did he start to have feelings for her? She must be terrible at reading men because she could just not see him liking her. And since Tessa was the most awkward woman in the entire nation of Canada, instead of saying yes, something else left her mouth.

 

“Do you usually break awkward silences by asking people out?” _Yeah, good one, Tessa._

 

“Who said I was asking you out?”

 

“Well, aren’t you?” Scott seemed to start but quickly end three potential responses in his mind before shaking his head with a laugh and raising it back up confidently.

 

“Tessa, would you like to go get dinner with me next week?”

 

“Yes. I would love to, Scott.”

 

-

 

Tessa and Scott exchanged numbers and details and it was decided that they would be getting dinner the following Wednesday night because it was Tessa’s only night off and Scott was able to move a private with one of his teams to an earlier time. After leaving the rink, she was unable to wipe off the smile that he put on her face. She was at a point in her life where she was genuinely happy again and she could not wait to see where things went with Scott. While she was tucking Lily in to bed, her ever curious daughter had to ask a couple questions.

 

“What did you and Mr. Scott talk about, Mom?” Tessa was slightly taken aback before answering her.

 

“Just about how good of a skater you are, princess.” She tapped her daughter’s freckled nose.

 

“What did you go on his phone for?” Sometimes her daughter’s inquisitive nature turned around to bite her right in the ass every now and then.

 

“He gave me his phone number so I could call him.”

 

“Call him about what?”

 

Good lord.

 

“I’ll tell you a little more in a few days, okay, bug?” Tessa kissed Lily’s forehead and stood up from the side of her bed to walk to her door. She had her hand on the light switch, ready to let her sleep before a voice just above a whisper spoke.

 

“Okay, mama. Please make sure he is nice to you.” And with that, Lily turned herself onto her side, Tessa shut off her light, and she closed her door practically in tears. Whether or not this thing with Scott would blossom into something more, her little girl would always be the number one person in her life and nothing would ever change that. Tessa began to prepare herself for bed; washing her face, brushing her teeth, braiding her hair. She reached for her phone to do some last-minute email answering when a tiny ding alerted her of a new text message.

 

Scott Moir: _Can’t wait for Wednesday. I’m sure you will look beautiful as always. Goodnight, Tessa._

 

Tessa smiled a smile bigger than any of the ones she’s had all day and formulated her response.

 

Tessa Virtue: _Can’t wait to see you again. Have a good night, Scott._

Wednesday, please come quickly.


	4. storm clouds

It was now Tuesday and Tessa was preparing for what she hopes would be the best Wednesday of her life. Her and Scott had sent the occasional good morning or good night text. Other than that, that had not talked in person since last week. She had already gotten her hair blown out that morning and got her nails done the night before. The most crucial part of her date was now the last thing she had to do: choose an outfit. She didn’t want to overdress, even though they were going to a somewhat fancy restaurant. And of course, underdress wasn’t in Tessa Virtue’s vocabulary, therefore, her and Kelly decided that going to a local boutique and picking out something new would be the best option. It was currently summertime, meaning Lily wasn’t in school. So, the decision to drop her off at her mom’s house would be a good move. She had dropped her a few hours ago amidst questions like “Where are you going?” and “Are you going to call Mr. Scott? I want to talk to him.” She dodged everything she threw at her the best that she could and sent her off with a long kiss on the forehead. Kelly offered to drive Tessa to the boutique and girl talk ensued during the car ride.

 

“So, you nervous, TV?”

 

“I don’t know. I’m so excited to see him again but nervous for what comes after this.”

 

“Well, it’s unfortunate that your standards in men had to start off so shitty, but I have a feeling that it will all turn around. He seems like such a good guy.” Tessa exhaled the breath that she didn’t know she was holding before responding.

 

“I really, really hope so.”

 

The rest of the ten minutes of the car ride were in silence, the perfect place for Tessa to obsess over millions of little thoughts. Her ex-husband was her high school sweetheart, being the first and only man she had ever loved. They went through all of their firsts together; first kiss, first time, first house. She expected this man to be the man that she would have by her side for the rest of her life and, just her luck, that’s not how it happened. He turned into a completely new and horrifying person right in front of her eyes and that was not the kind of father figure she wanted Lily to have. And because of this, she kicked him out. After some… forceful refusal, she filed a restraining order to ensure that he could not come into their lives ever again. He’s been out of it for 2 years now and things have only and could only get better from here. Right as Tessa started to feel tears forming, they pulled into the parking lot of the boutique, straightening herself up and focusing on the new man in her life.

 

Kelly and Tessa scanned through the racks, each picking out a few dresses that they both liked. The first one she tried on was a gorgeous green that cinched at the waist and flowed to the floor. While it was breathtaking, she decided that it was a tad bit too formal for their night out. She also tried on a red dress with tight sleeves that came to just above her knees. The embroidery on the front was an exquisite addition to the dress, although, it was just not the one for her. She went through about 5 different other dresses before pulling back the curtain and revealing THE dress. It was a royal blue, skin tight dress with thick straps that stopped right before her shoulders that ended at her shins. It managed to hug her in all the right places, giving her boobs and butt the extra push that they needed to make them up to her standards. Kelly stared her up and down for a few seconds before voicing her opinion.

 

“If this man isn’t in love with you already, this dress will do it.” Tessa just smiled one of the bigger ones she’s smiled in the past week and nodded to the woman at the register. She took it off and delicately placed it back on the hanger before bringing it to the front to pay for it. It may have been a tad bit on the pricey side, although, if this dress would be the start of something fantastic, she didn’t mind spending a little bit extra. Every second was one second closer to getting to see Scott again and she could not wait any longer.

 

-

 

Wednesday night. 6:34 P.M. 11 minutes before Scott said he was coming over to pick Tessa up and take her to dinner. Kelly offered to be Lily’s guardian for the night and Tessa, of course, did not decline. Kelly said she would be taking Lily to get ice cream and go to the toy store after Scott came to pick her up. Everyone in the Virtue household was excited, no matter what the reason may be. Tessa decided to go for her normal makeup with just a little edge. She smoked out her eyes a little more and decided on a slightly heavier contour and highlight than usual, but, if she was going to go through with this plan, she had to take all the steps necessary to do so. She finished off her look with a nude lipstick and some setting spray and walked downstairs to a waiting Lily and Kelly. Her nude heels clicked with every step she took down the stairs and the two sets of eyes she met when she reached the floor were ones of complete adoration.

 

“Mommy, you look so pretty!”

 

“Lookin’ good, hot mama!” Kelly and Lily complimented Tessa as she did a mock runway strut down towards the couch where she kissed Kelly on the cheek and lifted Lily up and gave her a squishy hug before she put her down. They sat for a moment in comfortable silence before hearing a knock at the door. She walked over to it and took a deep breath before opening the door to Scott. His dark gray suit and freshly pressed white button down underneath made him look absolutely irresistible. He sported a small smile and had a single red rose in his hand which he handed to Tessa, lingering for a moment before dropping his hand.

 

“You look absolutely amazing, Tessa. This color is fantastic on you.” He reached down to wrap one arm around her waist and the other on her upper back, lightly resting his hand on the back of her neck. She put her arms around his (neck) and momentarily snuggled into his (neck) prior to running an arm down his arm.

 

“You look so handsome, Scott. I’m so glad to see you again.”

 

“Me too!” Lily ran over to Scott and hugged his leg with an intensity that made her mom laugh. Scott bent down to reach Lily’s height, effectively removing her from his thigh.

 

“It’s so good to see you, Lily!” Scott accepted one of Lily’s squishy hugs before standing up and looking over to her couch, staring at the girl who he vaguely recognizes.

 

“Scott, this is my best friend, Kelly. She was at the performance last week.” Kelly stands up and puts a hand out for Scott that he graciously accepts and shakes.

 

“It’s very nice to meet you.”

 

“Likewise. You crazy kids go have fun alright? Your curfew is 11.” Kelly jokes while handing Tessa her purse, taking the rose out of her hand and placing it on the counter, and sending her away with a kiss on the cheek.

 

“Where are you going, mama?” Tessa looked down at her daughter with a frown before lowering herself to respond to her.

 

“Mr. Scott and I are going to get some dinner. Aunt Kelly is going to take you to get some ice cream. How does that sound?” Lily smiled and nodded before kissing her mom’s cheek goodbye and running to Kelly’s side.

 

“See you soon, mommy! I love you!”

 

“And I love you sweet girl.” Tessa responded happily. Scott led Tessa out of her house with a soft hand on her lower back. He took an extra step in front of her to open the passenger door for her to which Tessa planted a small kiss on Scott’s cheek. After letting her in and closing the door behind her, he takes the long way around the back of his car and touched his cheek, double checking that her kissing him did actually just happen. He opened the driver door and started on their drive to make their 7:00 dinner reservation.

 

“You really do look stunning, Tessa. I’m so happy that you wanted to come out with me.”

 

“How could I say no? Plus, I’m surprised you would even want to go out with me after I screamed at you.”

 

“I deserved it, but that’s in the past. Let’s focus on tonight.” He reached for the hand that rested on her thigh and took it into his own, pressing a kiss on the back of it. She smiled at him and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, keeping her hand in his and allowing the comfortable silence to take over the car until they reached the restaurant. Scott, being the gentleman that he is, never let her touch a door or a chair, making sure she was treated exactly how she deserved to be. They ordered a bottle of red wine and sat and conversed while waiting for their food.

 

“Tell me more about you, Scott. I can tell you’re much more than those 3 Olympic medals.”

 

“Nothing special about me really. I’ve been coaching since I retired from the amateur circuit and it makes me so happy. Helping teach the next generation of Canada is a feeling unlike any other. Hopefully Lily can be one of those skaters one day.”

 

“I want that probably as much as she does. She fell in love with it after going on a field trip when she was 3 and I did my best to take her as much as I could before her father put an end to it.” The conversation seemed to come to a halt after that, Scott not wanting to bring up anything about Tessa’s ex to avoid her getting mad at him again. Tessa decided to break both the silence and the wall that she has had up for years.

 

“My ex-husband was awful to Lily and I. He stopped her from doing what she loved and treated the both of us horribly. If Lily was going to have a father, I didn’t want it to be him. She deserves better than him. And he used to always… um…” Scott interjected before she could continue.

 

“Tessa, you do not have to share anything that you don’t want to. You even sharing that with me is enough.”

 

“You just make me feel so much less nervous than I was for the days leading up to today.”

 

“Am I that scary?” They both laughed before she answered.

 

“I wouldn’t be so nervous if you weren’t the second man I’ve ever gone on a date with.” She nervously chuckled while he stared at her in silence.

 

“I’m the second man you’ve ever seen in your life?” She nodded shyly. “I’m honored, Tessa. I hope that I can be a much better man than the other guy.

 

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Scott.” They smiled at each other and enjoyed the rest of their dinner, happy with each other’s company.

 

-

 

Scott and Tessa arrived back at her house at around 9:30. She invited him inside and gave him the grand tour, starting upstairs. She showed him baby pictures of Lily, various art pieces on the walls, and all of her crisp white furniture.

 

“This place is breathtaking. Thank you for inviting me inside, Tessa. I had the best night I’ve had in a long time.” Tessa felt the exact same thing, she was over the moon ecstatic after her night with him. But, she just couldn’t form any words. Any normal person would consider her next move rushing, but Tessa was 34 years old and if she didn’t get her act together now, she didn’t think she would ever find a man who would accept her and her daughter. She reached up, put a hand on the back of his neck, and brought his mouth onto hers. He froze for a minute before putting his hands on her waist, letting her lead them wherever she wanted to take it. She swiped her tongue on his upper lip and let him know exactly what her intentions were. He reciprocated her first move and let his tongue mix with hers in their mouths. She separated from him only to push him backwards onto the couch. She eyed him seductively before climbing onto his hips and laying across his front, wanting nothing more than to finally feel connected to someone again. His hands initially rested high on her back before moving them onto her hips and giving her a rough squeeze. Tessa’s breathing and heartbeat started to pick up the pace, but not for reasons one might think. She removed her mouth from his and took deep breaths, attempting to calm herself down while he took this as an invitation to kiss in the space where her neck meets her shoulder. His hands continue their journey down south and stop at their new location on her ass, squeezing hard enough to push her higher up on his body.

 

“Scott, please.” Tessa said urgently.

 

“Please what, baby?”

 

“Stop.” She whispered, so low that he almost missed it.

 

“What?”

 

“Please just stop.” Still barely speaking at a whisper. Scott thought nothing of what seemed to be exhales and moved his hands further, starting to hastily pull at the bottom of her dress. He started to move it up before she finally spoke up.

 

“Scott, stop, please.” She pushed herself off of him and straightened herself up before he began to talk.

 

“Did I do something wrong? If it was too much, I could just-”

 

“Can you please leave?”

 

“Tessa, I’m sorry, I thought this was what you wanted, I’m so sorry, I-”

 

“Please go home, Scott.” Scott didn’t ask any other questions or say anything else, he simply straightened out his clothing before walking himself to the front door without taking a look back. He doesn’t even know what happened or why she freaked out, but if space was what she wanted, then that’s what she was going to get. As soon as the door closed, Tessa curled up into the corner of her couch and began to sob. She came to her senses for a moment to text Kelly and tell her to keep Lily out of the house for a little bit longer. Tessa would later explain what was wrong to Kelly, but her daughter did not need to see her mom crying about someone who they both like so much. She wishes she never would have pushed him off, continued what they were doing and see how far they could have gotten. But, she got scared as soon as he started touching her, hating herself for turning into this woman. Her ex-husband eliminated the feeling of closeness with her and formed her into this scared little girl that could no longer form a connection with someone and she would never, ever forgive him for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry :(  
> please come yell at me in the comments or on twitter @bettsvirtue :)


	5. making things right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I upped the rating to mature and added two tags that mention abuse so TW// if you are triggered by mentions of abuse, please be warned before continuing to read this chapter. this is a very serious subject to me and I want to make sure everyone is aware before they read. at this point there are strictly mentions of past abuse and no actual abuse, although, it is something I plan in the future. but, I will be putting warnings before every chapter if there ever is anything potentially triggering in them. thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy chapter 5!

It was now Saturday; two days having passed since Tessa’s freak-out. The good morning and goodnight texts that she would once get are now a thing of the past, Scott wanting to give her all the space she needed before she realized exactly what it was that she wanted with him. Tessa had explained what happened to Kelly after she brought Lily home and tucked her into bed, already asleep when they came back. Kelly has been Tessa’s shoulder to cry on for years and that night was no different. Tessa confided in Kelly about everything that happened and she silently sobbed, attempting not to wake her daughter sleeping upstairs. Tessa also asked Kelly to take Lily out of the house again today to ensure that she would finally make things right. Tessa didn’t want to sit in her house and sulk for any longer. She took out her phone and opened up the text conversation that she had with Scott and thought of what she should say to get him to talk to her again.

 

_“Hey, Scott. Look I just-” Yeah, no._

_“Why would you come at me like that?” Definitely not. How could he have known? She was in no place to make this his fault._

_“Can I please come over?” Yep, that should work._

Tessa pressed send on the last text and waited for a reply. She didn’t have to wait too long for one; all of two minutes passed before her phone dinged with the notification of a new text from him.

 

_Scott: Sure._

 

Sure. That was all he said along with a link to his address on a map. Scott had yet to be short with her in the literally short amount of time that they’ve known each other so she didn’t exactly quite know what it meant yet. He could either be extremely mad at her, which he had every right to be, or he could just let her decide what she wanted to do with their relationship or even if she wanted to show up at all. She decided to throw on a pair of shoes and make the 34-minute drive to his house. She parked her car next to his and sat in the drivers’ seat for a few seconds with her head on the steering wheel, evening out her breathing the best that she could before walking to his front door and hitting it 3 times. After a couple of seconds, the door opened and revealed Scott, sporting a plain white t-shirt and grey sweatpants. One of his hands was in his pocket and the other was on the door, leaving open space for her to slide in and make herself at home.

 

“Hi.” Tessa started. A few seconds of silence ensued.

 

“Hi, Tessa.” Yet again, silence took them over.

 

“Can I please come inside, Scott?”

 

“Yeah.” He said, almost hesitantly. She walked inside and waited for his lead, following him when he made his way over to the couch. Tessa sat on one end of the couch and he immediately placed himself at the other end, distancing himself from her as far as humanely possible. She stood up and moved herself so that she was only a couch cushion away from him.

 

“Can I please explain? Everything?”

 

“Please do.” Tessa was still unable to read his tone; if he was mad, upset, completely neutral about the whole thing, she couldn’t tell.

 

“Well I think I should start in high school, eh?” He nodded and she continued.

 

“My sophomore year, I met my high school sweetheart. His name was Brandon. Brandon Turner. I was absolutely in love with him. He was the first person I ever loved. We finished high school together, went to the same college, and did everything by each other’s side. We had Lily when I was 29, and everything could not have been more perfect for the both of us. At least I thought so.” Scott’s unreadable expression made this conversation infinitely harder for her, nevertheless, she continued. “I don’t know what Lily’s birth had to do with him turning into a completely different person, but he did, and I just-”

 

“You keep saying that he was a new person and that he changed. What happened? I need to know what happened to you and to Lily in order for this to go anywhere.” There they were. The pent-up emotions that he had were finally boiling over and spilling out into the air around them. She could tell that he was angry with her, and like she said, he had absolutely every right to be. But if she wanted them to move forward, she had to leave the past behind.

 

“He hit me.” Silence consumed the air around them once more. His face dropped and his mouth slightly parted, almost refusing to believe what she had just told him. She also subconsciously put emphasis on the word hit, disgusted that it was even something she had to say. “It didn’t start as physical abuse. He had been screaming at me for years over stupid shit before Lily was born and after that, he became a monster. Thank god he never laid a hand on my daughter, but that doesn’t mean he never laid a hand on me.” His face softened and he immediately released every piece of anger he had in himself and replaced it with sympathy for both the beautifully strong woman in front of him and for the incredible daughter that she brought into the world.

 

“But… why did you ask me to stop when we were… you know…” She took another deep breath before continuing.

 

“Because he took advantage of me. He took advantage of me and the things that I used to offer him. He would always throw me around during sex and manhandle me like I was some sex doll that he could do whatever he wanted to. I still have scars from when he decided to scratch too hard or rough me around too much.” She chuckled as lightly as possible and began to lift up her shirt to reveal the first scar. He put his hand on hers and stopped her before she could go any further.

 

“Tessa, you don’t have to.” She removed his hand from hers and placed a kiss on his knuckles before resting it back in between them.

 

“Actually, I do.” She softly smiled at him and moved up her shirt to reveal a 1-inch scar on her side, shifting in place a little to make it more visible to him. “This one was because he said I wasn’t losing the weight I gained when I had Lily. He dug his nail into my side, trying to make a cut or something. I don’t know what he was thinking because it clearly didn’t work.” She then wordlessly put her shirt back down and stood up to unbutton her pants.

 

“Hope you don’t mind. We barely even got to first base last time.” She winked at him before removing her pants down to her knees and revealing a black thong and two sets of matching scars right below her hips. 4 lines each, every line longer than the one above it. “These were from the first time we had sex after Lily was born. I wasn’t ready yet, even though my body technically was. He claimed that I wasn’t doing enough and he grabbed at my thighs and forced me down the bed, making me bleed and not even caring that he did it. I don’t think in any of the times after I had Lily I ever actually finished, but hey, what am I gonna do?” She pulled her pants back up, straightened herself out, and sat back down on the couch before feeling a wet spot on her thigh. Tessa quickly looked up and met his red eyes, a tear falling out of each one.

 

“Tessa, I am so sorry. I wish I could have been there for you to help you or something. I should have never been so rough with you. I should have known. I’m just so sorry.” He dropped his head into her lap and began sobbing into her legs, not holding back anything anymore. She started to play with strands of his hair in an attempt to calm him down.

 

“Hey, enough of that. You couldn’t have known, okay? But now you do and we can officially put the past behind us, alright? Scott, look at me.” He picked himself up and stared into her eyes while choking back sobs. “It’s going to be okay. Come here.” She reached her mouth up and met his, so softly that it was almost unnoticeable. He barely reciprocated her actions, still trying to stop himself from crying. She stopped kissing his lips and chose the dark trails that his tears made on his cheeks instead. They were sitting in silence, enjoying each other’s company and pressing soft kisses anywhere they could before Tessa gets a phone call. She walks over to her phone and sees Kelly’s name on her screen before picking up.

 

“Hey, Kel. What’s going on?”

 

“Is Lily allergic to raspberries?” Tessa’s heartbeat started to move much faster than it was moving a few seconds ago before responding.

 

“Yes, why, what happened?”

 

“Well, the thing is, there were some in your fridge and Lily said she was hungry but it’s getting late and we already had dinner and the first thing I saw was raspberries and I gave her one and now her face is swelling up and I really need you to come home.”

 

“I’m coming right now. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Tessa starts to pack her purse up and take her keys out while Scott begins questioning her.

 

“What’s wrong? Is everything okay? Is Lily okay?”

 

“She’s having an allergic reaction and I have to go home. I’m really sorry, Scott.” He immediately got up and put on the first pair of shoes he saw while he walked to grab his keys instead.

 

“I’m going with you. I need to make sure she’s okay.”

 

“Scott, you don’t have to.” He shook his head and opened his door before responding.

 

“Actually, I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, @bettsvirtue for anything at all :)


	6. a new normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come at me @bettsvirtue!! hope you enjoy this new (slightly short but important) chapter!!

Scott drove himself and Tessa as fast as he possibly could without getting pulled over back to her house to check on Lily. Tessa had known Lily was allergic to raspberries after the doctor informed her when she was a baby. She had a little bit of raspberry baby food and Lily’s first sickness came about, making Tessa more scared than she had ever been in her life. Lily was then given EpiPens, just in case the moment ever came about that she needed one again. And it looks like now was one of those moments. They pulled into her house and as much as Scott wanted to open the door for her, he let her open it herself and rush to her front door to unlock it. She opened it and called out to her daughter and best friend.

 

“Kel? Lily? Where are you?”

 

“We’re up here, T!” Kelly shouts back, Tessa immediately running upstairs with Scott not too far behind. She scans the rooms and discovers them in Lily’s bathroom, Lily sitting on the counter and Kelly scanning the drawers for something she knew was in there somewhere. Tessa walked over to Lily and started gently touching her swollen little face. Scott stared from the doorway, wanting to give her space but also wanting to jump in and help at the same time. He decided on the former and watched along until the moment arose that he could jump in and help if she needed.

 

“Are you okay, angel? Are you hurt?”

 

“No, Mommy. But, my lips are fluffy.” Tessa was able to decipher what she said through her muffled speech.

 

“Here. I found them.” Kelly pulls out an EpiPen from one of the drawers and hands it to Tessa. Tessa takes off the cap and sets it up to put into Lily’s leg.

 

“This is gonna hurt, bug. Be strong for mom, okay?” Tessa pushed a small piece of hair behind Lily’s ear and looked her in the eyes. Lily stared back up at her with as big of a smile that she could do and nodded while Tessa lifted Lily’s tiny skirt and stick the pen into her thigh. Lily winced and a single tear fell out of her eye, her and her mom both reaching to wipe it away at the same time. Tessa took it out and disposed of it properly. She picked Lily up and took her off the counter, starting the walk towards her bedroom. Kelly and Scott stood back while Tessa did her motherly duties.

 

“Sorry I had to cut off your… whatever you were doing.” Kelly spoke.

 

“It’s okay. Lily is more important.” Scott replied and Kelly smirked, already having a good feeling about Tessa’s future as long as this man was in it. Tessa walked out and quietly closed the door behind her. She walked to them with her hands in her pockets.

 

“Tessa, I’m so sorry. I should have asked before I gave her anything. I didn’t know she was allergic to anything. This is my fault.”

 

“Yeah, it is,” Tessa started. “But you said it yourself, you didn’t know. Please just ask me next time, okay? I’m just glad it wasn’t anything worse than some swelling. Come here.” She reached her arms out for Kelly and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. Kelly started to get emotional, truly upset that she let this happen. When they separated, Tessa wiped away the drop on her face.

 

“If you never want me to watch Lily again, I completely understand.”

 

“Hey, none of that. This was just an accident. Besides, I think Lily would start to miss your squishy hugs. Just like her mom.” They shared a small laugh while Scott stared at them with a smile. “Go home, okay? Get some rest and call me in the morning.” She kissed Kelly on the cheek and walked her downstairs, closing the door behind her. She turned around and looked at Scott.

 

“What a night, eh?” Tessa joked.

 

“I’m sorry I just stood there like an idiot. I didn’t know how to help.” She shook her head and walked in front of him and played with the pieces of deep brown hair that curtained his forehead.

 

“Enough of the apologies. None of this was your fault. I’m just so thankful you got me here in time.” He started to get shy and shake his head, brushing off her compliment. She reached up and fully cupped his face before bringing his mouth to hers for the second time that day. She put her other hand on his hip and his two hands did the same to her, not squeezing hard enough to hurt her, but enough to let her know that he was here for her and he wasn’t going anywhere. He moved his hands from her hips to around her back completely, bringing her in and pressing her against his chest. They continued to stand in the entryway of her house, making out like teenagers, before a small voice made their presence known at the top of the staircase.

 

“Momma?”

 

Tessa and Scott merely removed their mouths from one another and did not pull their arms or bodies away just yet. As Lily made her way down the stairs, they slowly began to separate and turn themselves to face her, feeling like two kids who were about to get in trouble for breaking curfew.

 

“Yeah, sweetie?”

 

“Why is Mr. Scott here?” Scott stared at Tessa with what appeared to be a smirk, letting her decide what excuse she wanted to give her curious and half-asleep daughter.

 

“He came to check on you and make sure you were okay.” Tessa states, hoping that this answer was enough. Lily smiled and walked over to hug Scott’s thigh, nuzzling her cheek against his sweatpants.

 

“Thank you, Mr. Scott! I’m okay!” Scott could have cried in that moment, but he decided that he had already done enough of that in one day. He reached down to fully hug Lily’s tiny body, feeling like this was just something he was meant to do.

 

“You’re very welcome, Lily. Anything for you.” That last part was said just above a whisper, Tessa barely catching it while she stared at them, heart swelling with love for the two. They let go and Lily backed up a few steps before putting her arms out again, wide enough for the both of them.

 

“Squishy hug!” She announced, running up to their legs and using one arm to hug Tessa’s right and Scott’s left leg. They reached down, in unison, to lift her up and put her in the middle of their squishy hug. Tessa didn’t know what it was about this; Scott in her house, with her daughter, all of them sharing a moment of happiness together. It all just felt so right and it was something she could definitely get used to. Tessa and Lily hadn’t been a family of three in years. Tessa thinks it’s about time they changed that.


	7. stepping up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some important things are taking place this chapter... please enjoy chapter 7!
> 
> tw// slight mentions of abuse

Scott had made himself at home in Tessa’s over the past couple of weeks. Him casually showing up and become more and more acquainted to how Tessa and Lily live their lives was something they had all gotten used to. He loved their little family and it made him so happy that he had the chance to get close to them. Scott and Tessa were also growing closer in a way that was simply different than boyfriend and girlfriend. They were almost closer than that, feeling like they were starting to find more and more pieces of themselves in each other. Also, Scott getting so close to Lily made Tessa’s heart burst with love for the both of them. She hoped that Lily began to see Scott as more than just Mr. Scott from skating camp.

 

Tessa suddenly got called at work for a meeting with international associates through Skype. They weren’t expecting this phone call until next week, but the busy fashion world always kept the employees at Vogue on their toes, so they decided to call this Thursday instead. She wasn’t expecting to go in that day, hoping to spend the day with Lily doing whatever they decided. Although, she was now left without someone to watch her. Kelly was already scheduled to work that day so she was at their office building already. Tessa’s mom was also out of the question, having a job of her own that was also too far out of the way for her to come to London. She didn’t have an extensive list of friends, an even smaller list of people she would trust to watch her child, so she picked someone who was a new addition to both of those lists. She picked up her phone and called Scott, welcomed by the sound of two rings that are quickly replaced with his soft voice.

 

“Hi, Tessa. How are you?” Tessa smiled before answering.

 

“I’m really good, thank you. Are you busy right now?” There was a small moment of silence before his voice picked up again.

 

“Nope, Thursdays are my one day off a week. Why? What did you have in mind?” She could just about hear his eyebrows raising from however many miles away he was. A small suggestive influx at the end of his sentence told Tessa that the two of them were most definitely not on the same page about why she was calling him. Although they had been getting so close these past few weeks, they had yet to take their relationship to that next level and every time they would get close, he would pull away. He was never rude about it or anything, but Tessa really just wanted to feel connected with someone again and she didn’t know what else to do to get him to want to take things there with her. For the time being, however, she just really needed him to get to her house.

 

“Look, Vogue needs me to come in for an emergency meeting and I have no one to watch Lily. Could you please help me?”

 

“Oh, yeah, of course. I’m on my way.” Scott responded, sounding only slightly defeated. Tessa softly chuckled at his boyish ways.

 

“Thank you so much, Scott. See you soon.”

 

About 39 minutes later, she hears him knocking at the door. She walks over to it and opens it with a smile, him returning it immediately. He hands her a coffee (one of many things he has learned about her these past few weeks is exactly how she likes her coffee) and walks into her house with a small peck on the lips.

 

“Thank you for coming on such short notice. Sorry I disappointed you. I didn’t know what else you had in mind.” She smirked at him and he glared at her.

 

“Ha ha, so funny. Go get to work before I don’t let you.” And with that, he kisses her long and hard before walking her to her door. She turns around and gives him the usual mom checklist of things to remember.

 

“She should be getting up soon. I feel bad that I can’t even kiss her goodbye, but if I don’t leave soon, they’ll call and I’ll miss it and that will not be good. You guys can do whatever you want today, just let me know first and put the extra car seat in the garage in your car. I left an EpiPen on the counter, but text me before she eats anything. She usually just eats a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast, but just in case-” He cuts her off with another kiss before speaking.

 

“I will let you know our every move today. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her.” They smile at one another and he shuts the door behind her. He makes his way over to the bottom of the staircase, a small dresser there with tons of family pictures framed. There were pictures of so many kinds; just Lily, Lily and Tessa, Tessa alongside both an older and younger woman who looked just like her, which he can only assume are her sister and mom. They had done an expert job of removing any traces of her ex-husband in here and if he hadn’t known about him already, he would never even know he existed. Scott had never met the man in his life and he hoped he never had to, not knowing what he would even do if he were to be in his presence. All he knew was that he hurt two of the most important girls in his life and he would never just let it fly. Just as he started to get deep in thought, he heard a door opening from upstairs and heard tiny footsteps getting louder and louder until he turned around and saw Lily clutching a pale pink blanket in one hand and rubbing her tired eyes with the other. She didn’t actually notice Scott until she reached the bottom of the staircase, looking up at him with surprise.

 

“Hi, Mr. Scott.” Lily said, still waking up.

 

“Hi, Lily! How did you sleep?”

 

“Good… where’s mommy?” Scott didn’t exactly know how to tell Lily that her mom had to rush out of the house without saying goodbye and leaving her here with a man that was still essentially a stranger, so he put it in the best way he knew how.

 

“Your mommy went to her job and you’re going to be hanging out with me today. How does that sound?” She stared at him, looking at him up and down before shaking her head.

 

“I don’t hang out with boys.” Scott was slightly confused by this. Sure, she was 5, he didn’t expect her to hang out with boys as if she was 17. But, he couldn’t help but assume that she hadn’t been exposed to many boys in her life other than the occasional school or ice-skating boy and her father. He wondered if this meant what he thought it really meant.

 

“What do you mean, kiddo?” Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath at the sight of the nickname, similar to how she did it that first day they ever met, before responding to him.

 

“My mom hasn’t left me alone to hang out with a boy since my daddy left.”

 

Yep, that is exactly what he thought it meant.

 

“I’m sorry. Your mom asked me to watch you and she said we could do whatever we wanted today.” Scott couldn’t help but feel defeated. He wanted nothing more than for Lily to like him and she seemed to be upset with the current situation she was in. Although, after saying that, Lily’s face instantly transformed from one of sadness into one of mischief.

 

“ _Whatever_ we wanted?”

 

“Yep, anything you want. Ice cream, the park, toy store, whatever you want.” He said quickly, trying to give her the answer she wanted.

 

“Can we get ice cream and watch Belle?” Tessa had told her once that her favorite Disney princess was Belle and she would watch Beauty and the Beast (original or remake, same difference to a 5-year-old) all the time. She stared at him with hopeful eyes and he stared back with loving ones.

 

“Yes, we can get rainbow ice cream and come back and watch Belle.” He had also found out that Lily’s favorite ice cream was rainbow sherbet from a local creamery, keeping that location in the back of his head for the time when he would have to go back there. “Go back upstairs and get dressed and we can head out, okay?”

 

“Okay! See you soon, Mr. Scott!” He smiled at her tiny figure that was getting even tinier the further she got up the stairs. He just hoped the rest of the day went as smoothly as the beginning of it.

 

-

 

Scott and Lily had been watching Beauty and the Beast and picking at ice cream for almost two hours before the movie ended. Lily put her ice cream down on the coffee table in front of her and clapped as loud as she could. He immediately reciprocated her actions, laying the ice cream as gently as he could on her white couch (he did not want to be the one to leave an impossible to remove stain on it) and clapped while the credits rolled. The credits had finished and Lily sat on the couch, seemingly content with how her life was going right now. Scott did not want to cross any boundaries, but in order for him to take his relationship with Tessa to the next level, he had to make sure that the biggest part of Tessa was okay with it. He reached for the remote and turned the TV off before turning to Lily.

 

“Hey, Lily, can I ask you something?” She nodded and he took a deep breath before asking. “Are you okay with me being friends with you and your mom?”

 

“Of course, you are the best ice-skating teacher ever!” He smiled and chuckled lightly.

 

“Well, thank you Lily. But I mean as more than friends. Like best friends, almost.” Lily’s face dropped slightly at this.

 

“Do you mean like a daddy?”

 

Scott froze up instantly. He could tell Lily was smart, she was Tessa Virtue’s daughter after all. But he couldn’t tell that he was starting to see him as another version of a father. He wanted to be that for her one day, he wanted to be the missing piece to this family that they needed to be whole again. He didn’t know when it would be, maybe in a month, a year, 10 years, he had no clue. But, he would wait however long it took before they were ready to accept him into their life. Scott didn’t exactly know to respond to her question before she did the honors of speaking up and breaking the silence.

 

“Because I don’t want you to be my friend if you’re going to be like my daddy.” He shook his head and looked at her with softened eyes.

 

“I promise, I will never ever do anything your daddy did.”

 

“Good. He wasn’t nice to me or my mommy. I saw him hit her one time. It made me sad.” Scott had been holding back tears for about 5 minutes now and this was about to force the dam to finally break. He held them in and spoke to her as calmly as possible.

 

“I’m so sorry, Lily. You should never see your mommy hurt. But hey, she is pretty strong right?” She puffs her chest out and nods.

 

“My mommy is the strongest. She always tells me to be strong for her and I always am.” He smiles at this and is suddenly so proud of Tessa for not only taking on the role of a strong single mom, but enlisting the same strength into her daughter.

 

“Please don’t make my mom sad. I hate seeing her sad.”

 

All of the tears he was holding back were now making themselves known on his face. He reached across the couch and engulfed Lily in a (squishy) hug and cried into her shoulder.

 

“I will never make your mom cry, kiddo. I can promise you that.” She pulled away and put her pinky out, making sure that what he said was official. He wrapped his larger pinky around hers, enforcing his promise.

 

“Can you also please not call me kiddo? My daddy called me that and I don’t like it.” Scott finally understood why they left so abruptly that first day of camp, and why Lily tensed up when he said it earlier. Him calling her kiddo reminded her of all the times that her dad would hurt her and Tessa, bringing back memories that she should never have to think about ever again.

 

“Of course, Lily. Never again.” She gave him a toothy grin and reached her arms around his neck, continuing the hug that they ended moments before.

 

Scott could not have been happier right now. Not only did he find his relationship with Tessa getting better, but he and Lily were getting closer as well and that gave him more happiness than anything else had in a long time. Lily and him were now “friends” according to her, and he wanted to be that for her until the end of time.

 

-

 

Tessa walks back in at about 4 P.M. to an absolutely heart-warming scene. Scott has fallen asleep on the couch, Lily’s head on his side. One arm rested by his hip and the other was wrapped around the little girl, keeping her warm while they got some rest. She quickly took her phone from her back pocket and snapped a picture of this, wanting to remember this incredibly adorable moment with her two favorite people for as long as possible. She decides to remove her coat and heels and slide into Scott’s other side, joining them for a quick nap after a stressful day at work. Upon resting her head on Scott’s chest, he stirs awake and looks down to see his girlfriend on his left side. He stares at her with half open eyes, still filled with love nonetheless.

 

“Hey, beautiful. How was work?”

 

“It was work. Stressful as all hell. But I don’t want to talk about work right now. Let’s just get some sleep and go out and get some food whenever we wake up, okay?” He smiled and nodded at her, planting a kiss on her forehead before wrapping his arm around her. The two of them fell back asleep, Lily not moving a muscle in her deep sleep. Tessa had not felt this content with her life in a long time and she was so thankful for everything that Scott had brought to her and Lily’s life. Nothing could come in the way of her happiness.

 

-

 

They had all woken up about 2 hours later, Tessa being the last one to stir awake. Lily had said she really wanted chicken fingers for dinner, therefore, they went to their favorite restaurant that had really good chicken tenders closer to 7 P.M. Tessa called beforehand and made a reservation for the three of them, her incredible organization skills proving to be in her favor. Scott decided to drive them there and they drove the 17 minutes that Google Maps promised before they arrived at the restaurant. They went inside, gave their names and sat down, Lily sitting in between Tessa and Scott in their semi-circle shaped booth. Tessa picked up the menus that were left on the table and began to casually scan the restaurant. She noticed a man sitting at a two-person table by himself with his head down, sporting a Toronto Blue Jays hat. That man felt vaguely familiar, her heart picking up speed at the sight of him. Scott could immediately tell something was off because she had been staring into the distance and breathing heavily for almost 30 seconds now.ey hey

 

“Is everything okay, love?”

 

“Yeah, everything’s fine. That guy over there is just creeping me out.” She nods her head in said man’s direction and Scott turns around to get a look for himself. He scoffs and waves his hand in the air, dismissing him completely.

 

“Whatever, he’s just some weirdo. Don’t worry about him.” She pushes her thoughts aside and faces forward again, worrying about the two people in front of her instead. A few more minutes went by, their waitress coming back over to take their order and collecting their menus. Tessa barely glances back over her shoulder to discover that the man she was looking at before was no longer in his seat, immediately being able to breathe again. She faces forward again with a smile that instantly drops to see that the man was standing directly in front of her, the hat he once had on now in his hand. She now knew why he was so familiar. She doesn’t forget the man that she once knew for over 30 years overnight. Her ex-husband stood in front of her with a smirk and eyes that could kill.

 

“Brandon, what are you doing here?”

 

“I’m here to get my daughter back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun dun......  
> please leave lots of comments and follow me on twitter @bettsvirtue for updates whenever I post!!


	8. light at the end of the tunnel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> keep in mind that the rating is M for mature, that’s all I’m going to say… *insert smirking emoji here*  
> also keep in mind that this is the first time i have ever written any sexy times so try not to judge too hard :)

Shocked was not a wide enough word to cover exactly how Tessa was feeling right now. She had put a restraining order on Brandon the second that he said he was leaving and she didn’t know how he even knew where she lived. She moved to the other side of Canada to a small neighborhood in a small city, practically ensuring that he would never see them again. At least that’s what she thought. Scott was definitely not as surprised as Tessa was, although, he was definitely up there. That man had brought Tessa and Lily so much pain and hurt for too long and now that he was standing in front of them, he wasn’t sure what he wanted his first move to be.

 

“She isn’t your daughter anymore. Her last name is Virtue now. For all I care, you never were her father.”

 

“I was the one who got you pregnant, wasn’t I? I’m her father in every sense of the word.”

 

“No, you aren’t,” Tessa said, more aggressive than the last time. “You treated her and I horribly. Need I remind you of all the times you would hit me?”

 

“You deserved them, quit trying to act all nice for whoever the fuck this is.” Tessa immediately shut her hands over her daughters’ ears and tucked her face into her body. Scott also placed a hand on Lily’s back, not wanting to say anything, but reminding both Lily and Tessa that he was here for the both of them.

 

“You better watch the way you speak around my child. Get the hell out of here, Brandon.” He quietly chuckled and looked at Lily and then at Scott, Scott eyeing him with a look that clearly said, ‘If you don’t get out of here in the next 5 seconds, you don’t want to know what is going to happen.’

 

“Alright, Tessa. I hope you and whoever this guy is have fun with my child. I’m going to get her back.”

 

“You aren’t my daddy anymore. You made me and mommy sad and I don’t want you to be my daddy.” Lily spoke up from Tessa’s side, always being the strongest little girl in the room.

 

“Oh, is that so? Then who is your real daddy?” Brandon and Lily stared at one another, none of them knowing what she was going to say next. Scott eyed Lily, secretly hoping that she might say him. Although, knowing that this was all too much for her, he didn’t truly know what to think. After a few seconds of silence, Brandon broke it with a laugh.

 

“That’s what I thought. Good luck trying to replace me, Tess. It’s never going to happen. I’ll be seeing you guys again soon.” And with that, he walked out of the restaurant without another word. Tessa wordlessly got up, took a $50 bill out of her bag, and left it on the table.

 

“Can we please go?” Tessa said, not sounding upset, but more exhausted with the whole situation.

 

“Yeah, of course. Come on, Lily.” Scott reached down for Lily and picked her up into his arms, letting her wrap himself around his side. He took the keys out of his pocket and walked them over to the car, strapping Lily in to her car seat and moving to sit in the driver’s seat. He goes to type in Tessa’s address into his phone to navigate his way back to their house. She quickly reaches over and takes the phone out of his hand, typing in an address that he didn’t recognize.

 

“That’s Kelly’s address. I’m leaving Lily there for the night. She isn’t safe in my house.” Scott says nothing else and continues the drive to Kelly’s house. Lily had already fallen asleep in the back seat and would not mind staying at her Aunt Kelly’s house for a night. They pulled into Kelly’s driveway and Tessa told Scott to stay in the car while she walked Lily to the door. She took Lily out of the car seat, still sound asleep, before ringing Kelly’s doorbell once. She opened it after a few seconds, staring Tessa up and down.

 

“What happened?”

 

“Brandon came back.” Kelly opened her eyes wide and simply took Lily out of Tessa’s arms.

 

“Explain in the morning. I’ll take care of her.” Tessa smiled her thanks to Kelly and walked back to the passenger side of Scott’s car, driving back to Tessa’s house in silence. When they got back to her place, she led him inside and grabbed his hand, leading them upstairs into her bedroom. They sat on the edge of it together, waiting for one of them to break the silence. Scott decided to be the one to do it.

 

“How did he find you guys?” Tessa shrugs before responding.

 

“Beats me. When I filed the restraining order, they ensured me that he would be out of my life forever. That was probably some textbook bullshit that they’re forced to say. I never thought I would see him again.” She shakes her head, still in disbelief.

 

“I can’t tell you how sorry I am, Tessa. I wish there was something I could do to make sure you guys were safe.” Tessa looks up at him, something clearly on her mind.

 

“Actually, there is something you could do.”

 

“What is it? I’ll do anything.” She delayed for a second before leaning up and placing her mouth on his. She quickly reached up to put her hands on his neck, making sure he didn’t have a chance to disconnect their lips. He put his hands on her wrists then down to her shoulders, forcing them to separate.

 

“Tessa, I don’t know if this is the right time. A lot has happened tonight, this isn’t what you really want.” She looks at him in questioning before responding.

 

“Yes, it is. From the second I met you, Scott, I just knew that you had a paternal instinct. The way you were with the kids was just so special and I have loved watching you and Lily get so close this past month. You have been more of a father figure these past few weeks than he ever was to Lily and I can’t thank you enough for that.” Scott doesn’t know what it is about the Virtue women always wanting to make him cry, but this was certainly no exception. He leaned back in and placed his mouth over hers. She began to run her fingers through his hair, tugging when she reached the ends. He moaned loudly, wanting to take this all the way this time, but letting her lead. He learned his lesson about doing too much too fast with her, and he knew about how her ex would treat her whenever they would be intimate, so he made sure that this time would be something delicate and special and just right.

 

They stood up and moved themselves so that he was now laying on the bed, Tessa crawling onto it to straddle him. She began to grind into his hips and move her hands down his chest towards the button of his jeans. He removes a hand from her back and brings it in between them, effectively grabbing both of her hands before breaking their mouths apart again.

 

“If you keep doing that, this is going to last way shorter than I want it to. Let me take care of you, beautiful.” He puts a hand around her back and flips them over, laying her gently on the bed. She sits up for a quick second, removing her shirt before laying back down. Deciding that he was too clothed, he followed her first move and removed his shirt as well. He stares her up and down, eyeing her black bralette and tight black jeans.

 

“Have I ever told you how gorgeous you are?” She blushes before responding.

 

“Once or twice.” And with that, he leans back down and connects his mouth with hers once more. He begins moving the kisses away from her mouth and down her throat, leaving a trail in between the breasts that were still hidden behind her bralette. He continued his path until he came across a road block in the form of a tiny silver ball protruding from her belly button.

 

“What’s this?”

 

“I got it done a few years before I had Lily. I had to take it out, but I put it back in as soon as I could.”

 

“I’m so glad you did.” Scott said breathlessly, planting an open-mouthed kiss directly on her belly button. She arched upwards into his kiss, whimpering at the attention he was giving to this erogenous zone. He moved downwards before kissing directly above the button on her pants, bringing his hands to her hips to slide both her jeans and thong down her strong legs. Tessa quickly leans up on her elbows and looks down at him.

 

“You don’t have to do that.”

 

“I don’t mind. Unless you don’t want me to.” He starts to pull away before she reaches up for his shoulder to bring him back down to her.

 

“No, its okay, I just…” Scott tilts his head at her.

 

“Please don’t tell me he never did this for you.” She bit her bottom lip, closed her eyes, and shook her head no. “Not once?”

 

“He always said it was selfish of me to ask and never made the first move to do it. I mean, I don’t care if you do-” And with that, he brought his face down and placed his mouth over her center. She immediately moaned at the contact, so loud that he began to smile into her. He put his mouth over her clit and sucked hard, causing her to grip at his hair and pull with enough strength to rip it out if she tried hard enough. Tessa had never felt this much pleasure in her life and now that she was, she didn’t know how to handle herself. She kept one hand in his hair and the other wrapped in her sheets. He continued to lap at her while she writhed underneath him, somehow sensing that she was getting close with no prior knowledge of how her body works in a situation like this. After a few more minutes, she came into his mouth, Scott not pulling back until he took in every last drop. He sat up and wiped at his lips with the back of his hand, looking down at Tessa, still having a hard time catching her breath.

 

“How was that?” Scott said nervously, as if she was about to critique him on his skills.

 

“How have I gone my whole life without that?” They shared in a laugh together before she sat up and kissed him again, taking it upon herself to remove her bralette, exposing her breasts to him. He removes his lips from hers and moves them to the newly uncovered skin. He takes her left nipple into his mouth and brings his hand to play with her right one, making sure she was fulfilling maximum pleasure and keeping some part of him connected to her at all times. She relished in what his mouth was doing to her before she spoke up.

 

“Scott.” He separated from her to meet her eyes. “I need you.”

 

“What do you need, baby?” She moaned, so overcome with pleasure she was barely able to reply.

 

“Please… I need you inside me.” He echoed the moan that she gave him earlier and rushed to remove the pants that he didn’t realize he still had on and threw them among the other clothes that have started to pile up at various points throughout the room. He began to remove his boxers before pausing.

 

“Do you have-”

 

“I’m on birth control.” She smiled while he finished removing his boxers, throwing them off the bed. He leaned his weight on one arm and aligned himself with her entrance with the other.

 

“You’re sure you want to do this?” She doesn’t know why he waited until they got this far to ask her again if she was sure about it, so she just smiled and nodded at him. He returned the smile and leaned down to kiss her at the same time he entered her.

 

They both froze instantly upon full contact. Scott has had sex before, but it had never been like this. He hadn’t even started moving inside of her and this was already the best sex of his life. Being connected to a woman that he has began falling in love with like this was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Tessa’s standards for sex had been admittedly low, although, something about being with Scott in such an intimate way made her heart swell with love. Both of them have had that 4-letter word lingering on the tip of their tongue only after just a few days of knowing one another. Even in the times they weren’t speaking, the love they felt for one another was incomparable to anything else they had ever been exposed to. Despite the fact that neither of them have said it, they didn’t have to. They knew it was there without even trying.

 

Scott finally began moving inside of Tessa, not going slow enough to make it agonizing, but not too fast to where it would get out of hand. They kept this simple rhythm for a few minutes before it just got to be too much for her.

 

“Harder, Scott.” He ignores her request that she knows he hears before asking again. “Scott, please go harder.”

 

“I can’t.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I don’t want to hurt you.” The entire time that they were having this conversation, he was still moving slowly within her. She cupped his cheek and forced his eyes to look at her.

 

“Scott. You could never hurt me. If something is too much, I’ll tell you. Please. For me.” Tessa threw in that last part, knowing that if she hadn’t already convinced him, she would with that. He nodded and pecked her lips, looking back down to where they were connected and gradually moving faster with every movement into her. He reached a point where he was going hard enough for them to both start moving themselves forward in their road to climax, but not hard enough for her to argue against it. Scott continued at the quicker pace, Tessa’s moans getting louder every second. A few minutes went by, after which Scott spoke again.

 

“I’m close.”

 

“Me too.” How they could be so synchronized in something that they were only doing for the first time was mind-blowing. They loudly moaned in unison before climaxing at the same time, catching their breaths while he pulled out of her.

 

“That was… perfect.” Tessa said, finally deciding on a word that encapsulated everything that she was currently feeling. He laughed quietly and kissed her on the back of her head after laying by her side and pulling her into his chest.

 

“You are amazing. Thank you.” They went to sleep that night without another word, content with being in each other’s arms. This was the best night of Tessa’s life; she was in the arms of the man that she loved after finally taking their relationship to the next level. Life was good again and she owes it all to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gimme all your thoughts @bettsvirtue <3


	9. giving love in a family dose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that I haven’t updated in a few days, I have been sick and doing various fun college things ;) I know it hasn’t been that long but breaking the update schedule definitely ate me up a little inside haha but please enjoy this new super fluffy update starring two of our favorite Moirs!! come @ me @bettsvirtue for anything and follow me there for chapter updates!!

Tessa woke up at around 6 a.m., making her way over to Kelly’s house to pick up Lily, who still hadn’t woken up after last night’s incident. She managed to sneak out of Scott’s laser tight grip on her waist without waking him up. She walked Lily to her bedroom upstairs, tucking her back into bed with nothing more than a slight stir on her end. She walked back into her bedroom at around 8:30 a.m. and crawled back under the blanket. Scott finally began to open his eyes and pull her body back against his.

 

“Good morning sunshine.” He smiled at her and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

 

“Hello, angel. Where have you been all morning?”

 

“I went to go get Lily from Kelly’s. And I called Vogue and told them I couldn’t come in today.” He sat up at this and stared at her pointedly.

 

“Why did you tell them that?”

 

“Because I wanted to spend a day with my man and my little girl. Besides, all I do at work is answer emails and pick up phone calls, that’s nothing I can’t do from the comfort of my own bed.”

 

“Well, in that case, what do you say we go to my parents’ rink and skate for a little while?” Tessa immediately perked up at that and sat straight up to look him in the eyes.

 

“Are you serious? Lily would love that so much. She asks me every night before she goes to bed when she can skate again.” She laughs before he continues.

 

“Yup, 100% serious. My parents cleared it out today for us.” Tessa’s heart began to swell with happiness as she stood up and walked around to his side of the bed. She picked up his discarded shirt from last night along the way and threw it on. She leaned down and began to bring her mouth to his, lips barely grazing his as she spoke.

 

“Well, it would have sucked if I said no, eh?” She smirked and began to walk away, not without getting a slap on her ass courtesy of her boyfriend. She went to her drawer and put on the first pair of pajama shorts that she saw before walking to Lily’s room to find her slowly stirring awake. Tessa moves over to the side of her bed and sits on it before softly playing with her daughters’ hair.

 

“Good morning, princess.”

 

“Hi, mommy. Are you okay?” Tessa looked at her daughter in confusion before replying.

 

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“After yesterday, seeing daddy again, I didn’t know if-”

 

“I’m okay, sweet girl. You won’t be seeing him ever again, I promise.”

 

“Good.” They relished in a small moment of silence prior to Tessa perking up and presenting her daughter with a question.

 

“Hey, what do you say we go skating today?” Lily immediately sat up and started to move out of the bed.

 

“Are you serious, mama?” Tessa nodded and Lily got out of bed and began jumping all around. “Yay! Is Mr. Scott coming too?”

 

“He sure is. I had to make sure that the best teacher ever was coming along.” Lily regained composure for a second to walk over to her mom and give her a hug.

 

“Thank you, mommy. Let me get dressed!” She ran over to the drawers that she could reach and Tessa walked out of the room, letting her daughter pick what she wanted to wear today. She turned the corner into her bedroom and found Scott pretty much dressed. Part of his stay at Tessa’s included a duffle bag that would be interchanged with new clothes every week. He thanked himself for packing some extra layers this week so he could be bundled up for the rink. They smiled at one another and she began to dress herself. Today was going to be special for so many reasons.

 

-

 

They arrived at the rink that couldn’t have been more than 30 seconds from Scott’s house (no, really, his house was on the street right next to the rink) and they walked in to that particular chill that each of them have always loved. Tessa had brought Lily’s skates in a small bag that she had made for her a few years back when she skated for the first time, subconsciously keeping them and knowing that she would get the chance to use them again one day. Lily sat on a bench and waited for her mom to help her put her skates on while Scott disappeared for a moment and came back around the corner after a few minutes with two people who she did not recognize. Although, they all looked almost too much alike, so Tessa had a pretty good idea of who she was about to meet.

 

“Tessa, I’d like to introduce to my mom, Alma, and my dad Joe.” She walked over to Alma and put her hand out respectfully, with which she immediately declined and pulled Tessa in for a hug. Joe pulled her in for a hug as well when she separated from his wife. She loved his family already.

 

“It’s very lovely to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Moir.”

 

“Oh please! Like Scott said, it’s Joe and Alma. Any friend of my son’s is a friend of mine.” They all smiled at one another in silence before the tiniest person in the room made her extra-large personality known.

 

“Hi! I’m Lily!” Tessa reached down to pick up her daughter and finish introducing her.

 

“Alma, Joe, this is my 5-year-old daughter, Lily. She absolutely loves to skate.” Scott’s parents appeared to be slightly taken aback by the fact that Tessa was a mom, although, they quickly brushed it off and greeted her as normal.

 

“Hello, Lily. It’s very nice to meet you!” Joe said and Alma smiled her most motherly smile at them.

 

“Well, it was very nice meeting you two. Joe and I are going to get back to the boring office stuff. You guys have fun, okay?” They turned away and around the corner, Tessa slightly glaring at Scott.

 

“Did you tell them about Lily?” His tight-lipped expression and nervous eyes told her the answer she expected. “Scott, why not?”

 

“It never came up, I guess. They knew that I met a girl, and that I really, really liked her. I just never told them about her.”

 

“Are you embarrassed by her or something?” Tessa said, exasperated. This was one of the most inopportune moments to be having this conversation, but she needed to make sure she knew exactly what his intentions were before this went any further. He quickly brought his hands up to her face to make sure that she was looking him directly in the eyes when he said what he was about to say.

 

“Absolutely not. I love her so much and I love you so much. It just never came up, I promise. They are totally fine with it, I could tell. Please don’t-” She cut him off before he could go any further.

 

“Wait, you love me? Us?” He pushed piece of hair behind her ear before shyly smiling and nodding. She smiled an ear-to-ear smile before leaning up to kiss him. They remained like that for a few seconds before she pulled away. “We love you, too, Scott.”

 

“Come on, you guys! We have the ice to ourselves!” They untangled themselves and connected themselves at their hands while walking on to the ice together.

 

-

 

After a little over an hour of what was basically Lily putting on a show and Tessa and Scott watching, they got off the ice and started to change into normal footwear when Alma came around the same corner she did before, only this time without her husband. Lily and Tessa were off looking at various trophies and pictures on one of the walls. Alma called Scott over to them.

 

“How was it out there?”

 

“So much fun. Those two are fantastic.”

 

“You never told us that she had a daughter.” Scott is getting deja-vu and hopes he doesn’t get the same telling-to that Tessa only recently gave him.

 

“She is such a special little girl, mom. You would absolutely love her once you got to know her.”

 

“You don’t have to prove anything to me, but are you ready to be her father one day if it ever gets to that point?”

 

Scott froze. Of course he wanted to be Tessa’s husband and Lily’s father one day, but hearing it out loud kind of made reality punch him in the face. He held his ground, however, and said exactly what he was feeling.

 

“Absolutely. I love them so much and whether the time comes in a year or twenty, being her father will be the best part of my life.” Alma smiles at him with watery eyes and he pulls her in for a hug. “Come on mom, it’s okay.”

 

“I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time and if those two beautiful girls do that for you, then I am most definitely not going to stand in the way of that.” He pulled away from her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He heard two sets of footsteps making their way up to him from behind, Tessa and Lily deciding that they were done looking at the awards and photos.

 

“Ready to go?” Scott said and Tessa nodded at him lovingly. She put an arm around his waist and held Lily’s hand with the other. They all looked at Alma with soft smiles. This family of three dynamic was one that they were all slowly becoming used to and Alma definitely would not mind another grandchild.


	10. what i've been looking for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have loved writing this story so much and I just want to thank everyone who has made it this far. And a welcome to anyone who has just started, I hope you are enjoying it! Please lots of love and comments and follow me @bettsvirtue for chapter updates and such, thank you all! Enjoy chapter 10!

Tessa went into work on Monday, only slightly behind from missing work on Friday. It was most definitely worth it, though; getting to see Lily so happy, meeting Scott’s parents, and finally confessing the love that was always there between them made not going in to work 100% worth being behind on a few emails and phone calls. It was nearing her lunch break when one of the front desk receptionists calls her.

 

“Hi, Ms. Virtue. Someone is downstairs to see you, can I send them up?” Tessa was initially confused because she wasn’t expecting anyone today and people who do randomly show up never do it on a Monday. Although, it could be someone that was trying to reach her on Friday, so she obliged.

 

“Sure. Please send them up.”

 

After a few minutes, there was a knock on her glass door. Tessa was deep in the middle of responding to an email, so she mindlessly invited the person in. She heard the door open and the person that walked in was someone who she wished she never had to see again. Her ex-husband Brandon is now standing in front of her desk, Tessa putting her hands on the armrests of her chair and rolling herself backwards.

 

“Get out.”

 

“How about a ‘Hi, Brandon! So nice to see you!’ Where did your respect go?” He made himself at home in her office, sitting at one of the two chairs in front of her desk and scooting himself forward so he was as close to her as possible.

 

“I could be asking you the same exact thing. What the hell are you doing here?”

 

“Pretty swanky place you got here. Who’d you have to suck off to get to the penthouse, T?” Tessa was absolutely taken aback by this man. Not only did he not leave her alone as she had asked, he is currently breaking the law by disobeying the restraining order she had on him. She needed to figure out what it was going to take to make him disappear sooner rather than later.

 

“What do you want from me?”

 

“I’ve told you plenty of times what I want. I want my daughter back.”

 

“How many times to I have to tell you? Her last name is Virtue now, not Turner. She is _not_ your daughter.”

 

“And I have told you that I was the one who knocked you up, right? I am just as much her parent as you are.” Tessa leaned in over her desk, staring him right in the eyes, making sure he is understanding exactly what she is saying.

 

“You’re breaking the law by being here. You know that, right? One phone call to the police and you’re done.” He looked down with a small laugh before looking back up and glaring into her soul through his eyes.

 

“I _dare_ you to call the police, Tessa. See what happens.” The old Tessa would have immediately become scared when he would begin to speak like this. She would shy away from him, try to give him as much space as possible before anything got out of hand. Although, right now, nothing was going to stop her mission to make sure this man left her and her family alone. She was no longer looking at him as a scared little girl who agreed with everything he said. She was now a grown woman with a take nothing from no one attitude, and this time was no different.

 

“And what are you going to do about it?”

 

“Listen, Tessa. You ripped my one pride and joy right out of my life and I will never forgive you for it. I’m not stopping until she’s legally mine again.”

 

“Pride and joy my ass. You treated Lily like shit. You never picked her up from school, never played with her when she asked you. She would always come to me crying that daddy didn’t like her. You think she wants a man like that as her father?” They stood in silence before she replied.

 

“That’s what I thought. We’re done here.” Tessa leaned back and picked up her phone before pressing a few buttons on the machine. The phone rang three times before someone answered on the other end.

 

“Hi, yeah, it’s Virtue on the top floor. I have an unwanted guest in my office right now. Can you please come-” Tessa was cut off by him grabbing onto her left wrist, effectively getting her to drop the phone. He continued to have a tight grip on her wrist, Tessa feeling the bruises forming underneath his grasp.

“Didn’t I say not to call anyone?”

 

Tessa still remained strong, walking around the short side of her desk to end up directly in front of him, kicking him square in the jewels. He dropped her wrist and she immediately rested it in her good hand, not wanting to move it too much. He got up himself and started to walk himself to the door, not before turning around and looking at Tessa with one last thing.

 

“I’ll be back. I haven’t gotten what I want yet.”

 

And with that, he turned on his heel and walked himself out. Security came up a few moments later to see Tessa still standing at the door where he left. They questioned where the person was, and all she had to tell them was that it was too late. That he had already left. That he still wouldn’t be out of her life after making it hell for almost too long. She had no choice but to finish the work day, managing to not speak to anyone for the duration of the day. Phone call rings ran out after a few seconds, multiple knocks on the door eventually disappeared, emails piled up that received no response. She drove home at around 7 P.M. that night after putting the finishing touches on an article that was due the next day. She pulled back into her house and walked in to Scott and Lily on the couch playing with some of her dolls. She smiled at the scene before they both looked up and noticed her walk in.

 

“Mommy!” Lily ran up to her mom with her arms in the sky to which Tessa leaned down and accepted her arms around her neck in a squishy hug, only using her right arm to hug her back. They separated after a moment and Scott began walking up to her and lightly putting her face in his hands, bringing her face to his in a soft kiss that she immediately reciprocated.

 

“Hi, beautiful. How was work?”

 

“Definitely been better.”

 

“What happened? Come tell me.” He moved his right hand down from her face to her shoulder, then her forearm, then her wrist, encouraging her to follow his lead. She quickly flinched and tried to cover it up just as quick as she started, putting her head down to avoid his gaze.

 

“It’s okay, I’m fine.”

 

“No, you aren’t, what happened?” He lightly put a hand under her wrist and pulled back the sleeve that she was thankful she had on today. He moved the fabric aside to reveal a deep blue and purple splotchy mark on the inside of her wrist, with shapes that Scott couldn’t help but assume was fingers.

 

“Tessa… what the hell happened?”

 

“Nothing, I fell, my clumsy self strikes again!” She tries to shake it off with a laugh, but he would have none of her efforts to push him aside.

 

“You don’t get finger shaped bruises on your wrist from falling. What really happened?”

 

“He showed up at my office.” Scott immediately dropped her wrist as gently as possible and started picking up his breathing. He turned around to make sure Lily was back on the couch and out of range for her to hear what he was saying before he started.

 

“Why hasn’t he left you two alone yet?”

 

“I don’t know, Scott. I told him to leave and he said he wouldn’t stop until he got Lily back and-”

 

“Hold on, he’s trying to take Lily away from you?” Scott lowered his voice at the mention of her name, not wanting her to hear what they were talking about and start getting curious. She nodded at him, deciding that this was when she wanted to look up to meet his eyes again. He shook his head in response and moved around her to the side table by the door, picking up his keys and sliding his shoes back on.

 

“Scott, where are you going?”

 

“To make sure he never bothers either of you again.”

 

-

 

Scott began driving around with no destination in particular. He scanned up and down just about every street in Canada for over an hour when he happened to drive past the Vogue building. He started to move slower when he landed on a man who was sitting with his back against the clear glass of the front doors. He initially thought nothing of the man until he looked up and caught a glimpse of the Toronto Blue Jays hat that he saw him in the first night they ever saw each other. He started to squint his eyes to focus on the man a little better, recognizing that smug grin that seemed to be branded into his face. Scott put his car in park on the side of the road and got out to meet Tessa’s ex-husband, Brandon.

 

“Hey man, you’re Tessa’s new arm candy, right? Sorry I never formally introduced myself.”

 

“Go fuck yourself.”

 

“Woah, chill out, bro. I’m just sitting here waiting for your friend to come back tomorrow so we can have the same discussion we had today.”

 

“Actually, you’re going to leave Tessa and Lily the fuck alone. You aren’t legally Lily’s dad and you also legally aren’t even supposed to be in front of this building. I suggest you leave all of us the hell alone.” Brandon stood up and put his hands in his pockets, walking towards Scott with his chin in the sky.

 

“Who are you to Tessa, anyways? Some friend with benefits? A cheap lay on the first guy she happened past?”

 

“I’m her boyfriend. And I’ve been more of a father to Lily in a few months than you were her whole life.” Scott knew he was getting bold by throwing out the word ‘father’ like it was not a big deal. Although, all of them in this situation knew that it was a huge deal, with Lily not really having one and Tessa deciding 1) if she wanted her to have one and 2) who it would be. Scott was hoping that them continuously getting closer over these few months instilled some trust in Tessa so that if their story ever took them there, then she would be absolutely okay with it. But, for the time being, if calling himself a father to a man that was only ever the shell of one would effectively remove him from the lives of his two favorite girls, then so be it. Brandon laughed before he answered Scott.

 

“You? A father? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all week. Look, don’t think I have no idea who you are. You’re Scott Moir, Olympic champion, blah blah blah. Ohhhh, maybe that’s what it is! She’s using you for whatever little Olympic fame you have left in you. That’s how she always was, that Tessa. Just finding the most famous people she could and surrounding herself with them to get to the top. God, she can be so fucking stupid sometime-”

 

Scott had enough. He had been holding back enough after the jabs he made at him but the second he insults Tessa, it’s an entirely new ball game. He took one of the fists that was balled up on his side and punched Brandon across the face. He didn’t even know who this guy was, but the fact that he thinks he has the right to insult Tessa and sit outside of her job until she showed up there the next morning was completely disgusting and he wouldn’t let it slide. He continued to kick at Brandon while he was on the floor before getting onto one knee and continuing to punch him, his knuckles becoming painted red.

 

“Leave Tessa and Lily alone, asshole.”

 

Every word was emphasized by a punch, Scott making sure Brandon knew exactly what his message was. He continued until he started to hear something in the distance. He slowed up, having a slight feeling of what it could be, before red and blue lights began to get brighter and brighter as they made their way to the scene. Scott turned around and was met with 3 cop cars coming in his direction, quickly standing up and wiping the sweat off his brow, effectively replacing it with the blood that dripped from his hands.

 

“Sir, stand up and put your hands behind your head!” The three cops walked toward him timidly, one armed with a taser, the other two keeping their hands over where it rested on their belt in case they needed to use it. Scott obliged while they came up behind him and put his hands behind his back, getting put into handcuffs.

 

“This guy is a lunatic, officers! He came up from out of nowhere and started attacking me!” If Scott wasn’t behind held back by the police officer, he would have effectively finished what he started only moments before.

 

“Screw you, Brandon.”

 

That was all Scott had to say as the officer put him in the back of the police car and drove him to the station. He asked for a chance to explain himself, and they granted him that, so long as he stayed the night in a holding cell and then would be questioned in the morning. He couldn’t help but wonder what Tessa and Lily thought he was doing, but, he can guarantee it wasn’t this.


	11. someone new

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! I am so sorry for the long wait, I've been stressed out heavily because of college and it finally caught up to me and I got sick so this chapter took longer than I wanted to but I am so happy to finally have a new one out! please enjoy and leave lots of love :)

Tessa was in a state of panic. She had been calling and texting Scott all night after he left her house. He was gone for an hour before she texted him to check in, to which she was met with no response.

 

_Scott, where did you go?_

_I’m really worried, please answer your phone_

_Scott_

_Please_

_Lily is scared, too_

_If you read these, please call me_

_I love you_

 

She knew it was pointless to continue to text him if he wasn’t going to reply, therefore, she left her texts alone after that last one. It was close to 8 A.M. and the first thing Tessa did was call Vogue and tell them that she had a family emergency and they apologized and wished her well. She was honestly surprised they weren’t getting incredibly suspicious at all of the time she had been taking off of work, although, she was at high enough of a position where she could practically make her own hours as she pleased. A few minutes went by, Tessa sitting with her knees curled into her chest, before receiving a phone call from a number that she did not recognize. This phone call could either be really good or really bad, so Tessa held her breath as she slid her finger across the screen to answer the phone.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Tessa?” She would recognize that voice anywhere. She let out the breath that she had been holding since last night before replying.

 

“Oh my god, Scott. Where are you? What happened? Are you okay?”

 

“I… um… the thing is…”

 

“ _Scott_. Where are you?” He could tell by her raised tone of voice that she was being serious and now was probably not the time for any jokes.

 

“I’m at the police station. Can you please come get me?”

 

“Yeah, I’m on my way. You better have a good explanation for this.”

 

And with that, Tessa got into her car and had no choice but to bring Lily along with her. On the days that she would work, she would either keep Lily at the day care that Vogue offered the moms or ask Scott if he was busy coaching. Whenever Scott wasn’t working with one of the four teams he had been coaching at the time, he would gladly either go to Tessa’s and watch Lily or take her somewhere fun before Tessa would come home. But, Kelly and her mom were both at their respective jobs, and Scott was presumably in jail, which meant Lily had to come with her to bail him out.

 

“Mommy, where are we going?”

 

“We’re going to get Mr. Scott.”

 

“Where is he?” Tessa exhaled before hesitantly responding.

 

“At the police station.”

 

No other words were spoken by either of them for the rest of the drive. They arrived at the police station and Tessa unbuckled Lily from her car seat before letting her down, grabbing her hand, and walking them inside. They walked to the woman at the front desk and asked for Scott.

 

“Hi. I’m looking for Scott Moir, he got taken here last night.”

 

“What was the offense?”

 

“I’m not sure. He called me from here this morning and just told me to come get him.”

 

“Are you his wife, ma’am?” Tessa looked down and chuckled slightly before looking back up and shaking her head at the woman. “Just one moment please.”

And with that, the woman got up from her seat and walked somewhere behind a door that slammed so loud it made Tessa flinch. Lily looked around inquisitively, Tessa almost being able to see all of the questions popping up in her mind, although, she stayed quiet and held her moms’ hand patiently. After a few minutes, that same door opened and there was Scott, being led by two police officers with their hands on their belts. He moved in between them to stand directly across from his two girls, both looking at him with unreadable expressions. Tessa decided to make the first move and walk up to Scott, wrapping her arms around him and snuggling her face into his neck. He reciprocated after a few moments and wrapped both hands around her waist. He began to get choked up before starting to talk.

 

“I’m so sorry, Tessa.”

 

“Hey, look at me,” she moved and put her hands on his face to ensure that he was looking right at her. “What happened, Scott?” He took a deep breath before letting the other shoe drop.

 

“I was driving around looking for Brandon,” still whispering whenever his name was mentioned, “and he was waiting outside of the Vogue building. Said he was going to stay there until you got there the next morning to talk to you again. He kept bugging me and saying all of these horrible things about you and I snapped.”

 

“What do you mean ‘snapped’?”

 

“I beat him up. I started punching him, wasn’t holding back a thing. I was just tired of him talking down on you two. You guys don’t deserve that.” Tessa sighed at this.

 

“Scott. I really appreciate you defending Lily and I, it means more to me than you know. But, I don’t need you to fight my battles. I’ve been strong enough on my own for years now and I don’t need you getting involved and getting yourself hurt like this.”

 

He immediately nodded and agreed. Everything she said was 100% true. She was an incredibly strong and beautiful woman that had been dealing with Brandon and all of his baggage for almost 20 years. The last thing that she needed was another man to try to interrupt the way she had been living her life with her daughter. Scott looked down at Lily and her tiny frown. If he was being honest, he wasn’t even thinking about what the little girl would think about all of this. She was only 5 years old and seeing someone she was starting to view as a father figure go to jail would definitely not leave a positive imprint in her thoughts of him. Looking down at her tiny figure made him instantly regret even leaving their house last night to look for Brandon. Scott knelt down to be at eye level with Lily.

 

“Hi, Lily.”

 

She shyly waved at him in response and slowly walked into him when Scott put his arms out for a hug. They embraced for a moment before Scott stood up and grabbed Tessa’s and Lily’s hands, keeping both of his occupied.

 

“Let’s go home.”

 

-

 

They had all been sitting on the couch, watching various movies and talking about different things throughout the night when Tessa noticed Lily starting to doze off on the other end of the couch.

 

“Alright, bug. Time to go to bed!”

 

“But I’m not tired, mom!”

 

“Yes, you are. Come on, let’s get some rest.”

 

Tessa led Lily up the stairs and to her room to change into her pajamas. As Tessa was tucking Lily into bed, she asks Tessa a question that she never would have expected.

 

“Did he hurt you?” Tessa stared at her daughter, somewhat confused, but also knowing exactly what she meant.

 

“Did who hurt me?”

 

“Mr. Scott.”

 

“No, babe. Why would you say that?”

 

“The people that love you always hurt you. And then they go to jail.”

 

This had Tessa practically crying the second that it left her daughter’s mouth. She knew her daughter was smart and always the type to ask questions, meaning it didn’t fly over her head when her daughter was abnormally quiet throughout the whole process of picking up Scott and being with him today. It bothered Tessa so much that she had to tell her daughter that the man who was supposed to be the one and only love of her life put her through more pain than ever imaginable and went to jail because of it. Now, her only impressions of people who went to jail are people who were supposed to love her, meaning Scott was now on her list of people who had hurt her mom. Tessa kept the tears she felt forming back and quickly shut her daughters’ thoughts down.

 

“No, baby. Mr. Scott didn’t hurt me. Go to bed, okay?” She leaves the room after giving Lily a small kiss on the forehead. She began her walk down the stairs, still shaken up by the conversation they just had when she was met with Scott’s smiling face at the bottom of the stairs.

 

“I’m going to go say goodnight to her.” Scott kissed her on the cheek and made his way up the stairs when Tessa turned around and put a hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

 

“Why not?” Tessa hesitated for a minute before talking again.

 

“Scott, we need to talk.” He walked down from the third stair and grabbed her hands in his.

 

“Why? What’s up?”

 

“I’ve been thinking about what happened…”

 

“Tessa, I don’t want to think about it anymore and you shouldn’t either. Let’s just put it behind us babe.” He starts to lean in for a kiss but she takes a step back, making her hands fall out of his.

 

“It’s not that easy. You hurt someone. You were reckless and selfish.”

 

“You’re exactly right, Tessa. It was irresponsible and I shouldn’t have-”

 

“How do I know you won’t do it again?” Scott shook his head and glared at her.

“Tessa, I was just trying to keep you guys safe. You guys both make me so happy and I would do anything for you two.”

 

“Yeah, that’s exactly what Brandon said, and look what he did to me.”

 

“Do you really think I would ever do anything he did to you? Do you think that little of me?”

 

“Well, from what you’ve shown me so far, I’m really not sure what to believe.” Tessa scoffed.

 

They stared at each other in silence for a few moments. Both of them made accurate points, but at the same time neither of them were going to back down. They were equally stubborn in their own ways and they weren’t going to falter from their respective stances no matter what.

 

“I don’t know what you want me to say here, Tessa. I’m giving you my word that this will never happen again and I just-”

 

“Lily asked if you hurt me.” Scott’s face softened at this.

 

“What?”

 

“The only man she has ever known to be a father hurt me and went to jail. You come into her life, start to become a father figure to her, and then this happens? She automatically thinks that you did the same things Brandon did to me.”

 

“I promise, I would never-”

 

“That isn’t the kind of man that I want as Lily’s father.”

 

“What are you saying, Tessa?”

 

“I’m saying I don’t want a man that reminds my daughter of her abusive father in her life. Or mine. Please leave, Scott.”

 

“Can we at least talk about this, please?”

 

“We already did. Go home Scott.”

 

And with that, Scott walked out of Tessa’s house, leaving behind the only two reasons that he was happy. Sure, coaching was fun, and his family was amazing, but meeting Tessa and Lily was singlehandedly the best thing that had ever happened to him and now that he was out of their lives presumably forever, he didn’t know how to go on. He didn’t know who he was without them and his heart ached at the reality that he now had to find out.


	12. come back to me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading thus far, being able to do what I love and seeing that people enjoy it makes me so happy :) please enjoy chapter 12, leave lots of love and comments!

It had been about a month without any contact between Scott and Tessa and neither of them knew how they were still functioning without each other. Tessa took all of the emotions that she was feeling out on her work, getting there even earlier and staying after everyone else had already left. She chose to stay at work longer because being at her own house just brought back memories of all the times that he would be there when she came home, sometimes playing with Lily, other times cooking dinner for them. Now, when she came home, she put Lily to bed right away, keeping her up way past her bed time because she was selfishly avoiding their own house. Scott decided to put his emotions into something else. If he wasn’t with one of his teams, he was at the bar, attempting to drink away all of his sorrows. It’s been getting so bad that he would find himself drinking the entire night away and going straight to the rink the next morning to work with a team. Both of them were attempting various coping mechanisms to deal with the absence of the other, but neither person could truthfully say that they were working.

 

Vogue technically closed at 9 P.M., but it was now 10:30 and Tessa was still at her desk, fiddling with various fabric swatches. She heard a knock on her door and she got up to answer it, first looking through the peephole that she had put on the door for obvious reasons. She was met with a distorted version of Kelly and she opened the door to her best friend.

 

“Hi, Kel. What’s going on?”

 

“Tess. They locked the doors almost two hours ago. What are you still doing here?”

 

“I’m just finishing up, I’ll be done soon.”

 

“You’ve been saying that for the past two weeks. Lily has been in my office sleeping on the couch for an hour. Have you stopped to take a second and think about how she feels about all of this?”

 

Truthfully, she hadn’t. She had been forcing her daughter to wake up early and stay up late just because she was avoiding any and all memories of Scott. Her poor daughter was probably exhausted and it was her fault. Plus, you could tell that she missed Scott. She might have thought that he was someone that hurt her mom, but above anything else, he was more of a father to her than she had ever known before and she misses always being able to talk to him and especially skating with him. Tessa knew that she was being self-centered about this whole situation and she needed to put these pieces back together because if she was being honest with herself, she missed him more than anything.

 

“I’m so sorry, Kelly. I’ll pack up all my things and we’ll go home right now.”

 

“Actually, I called your mom and we’re going to leave her there for the night. You and I are going to go out for drinks and discuss a few things.”

 

“Okay.” Tessa nodded, knowing that a night where she could completely come clean about everything was exactly what they needed.

 

-

 

After Tessa dropped Lily at her mom’s house, she met Kelly at one of their favorite bars. Slightly grungy, but it had been their go-to spot for over 10 years and it got the job done. Kelly was waiting outside for Tessa when she pulled up and she held the door for her when they walked in. One of the servers said hi to them by name and told them to head over to their usual two-person booth.

 

“Hello, ladies! Welcome back, what are we drinking to tonight?”

 

“Long day at work.” Tessa sighed.

 

“Two pints coming right up.” She winked at them and they smiled in return. Kelly eyed Tessa and decided to get right to the point.

 

“So, what’s been going on with you, T?”

 

“You know, just… work and um… Lily.”

 

“You know what I mean, Tess.”

 

Tessa did know exactly what they came here to talk about, but this whole situation with Scott was not something she could even put into words. She was just pouring all of her pain into her job and not even knowing exactly how she felt about this whole thing. She now knew that she had to attempt to talk about Scott in a way that made sense to the both of them.

 

“I honestly don’t know, Kel. I kicked him out without even thinking about it because Lily assumed he was hurting me. There isn’t much else to it.”

 

“Do you think he deserved that?”

 

“Absolutely not. He deserves the world and more and I treated him like shit because of something he did to try to protect us. I told him that I didn’t need him to fight my battles only because no one had ever done it for me before,” Kelly glared at her with her eyebrows raised. “Besides you, stupid. All he was trying to do was protect Lily and I and I completely shut out everything he was trying to say to me. I feel terrible.”

 

“What do you think about him potentially being Lily’s father one day?”

 

“Honestly?”

 

“Mhm.”

 

“I want it more than anything. She loves him so much and they make each other incredibly happy. She asked me if he hurt me and I told her no, because it was true. How could I ever think that him trying to protect me was him trying to hurt me? God, I’m so stupid.”

 

“No, you aren’t. In the heat of the moment, you felt hurt and threatened and you kicked him out. I’m not going to say it was your best decision, but it was not completely unwarranted. Now, you know what you need to do to get him back right?”

 

Tessa nodded with a soft smile. They finished their pints that they were casually sipping throughout the conversation and Kelly motioned to their server for the check.

 

“I’m going to run to the bathroom. This pint caught up to me fast tonight.” Tessa began her short walk to the bathroom, passing a few people sitting at the barstools against the bar counter. She finished up and walked back out, seeing someone at the bar that she recognized. He had his face pressed up against his hand with his elbow propped up on the counter. He also had 3 empty pint glasses in front of him, proving that he had been drinking for quite a bit now. She got a little bit closer to him and realized exactly why she recognized him. She would recognize that sharp jawline and pronounced nose and perfect pair of eyebrows anywhere.

 

“Scott.”

 

Scott looked up and met the eyes of the woman who he hasn’t stopped thinking about for a month.

 

“Tessa. What are you doing here?”

 

“I was out getting drinks with Kelly. What are _you_ doing here?”

 

“Drinking away my problems.” He joked, trying to brush it off with a chuckle.

 

“Come on. You’re not staying here anymore.”

 

“Don’t worry about me, Tessa. I’m fine.”

 

“No, you aren’t. Let’s go.”

 

Tessa put her hand out for him to take and he looked at her for a few seconds before putting his hand in hers, slightly flinching at first. He hadn’t had his hand in hers in too long and the fact that it felt almost foreign now broke his heart. But, he slipped his fingers through hers and was at home once again. She walked back to the table that Kelly was still sitting at and she was met with a smile.

 

“Kel, we-”

 

“You don’t have to explain. You guys figure your stuff out, okay?”

 

She nodded and smiled at her almost sister and led Scott out to her car. It was about time that they figured everything out and this felt like a sign from the universe that they were at the same bar at the same time. The moment that they had both been waiting for was now here.

 

-

 

Tessa drove them back to her house and they sat on the couch together.

 

“Where do we start?”

 

“May I?”

 

Tessa nodded, letting Scott take the reigns and start ‘The Talk’.

 

“I need to start by saying I’m sorry. I’m sorry for attacking Brandon. I’m sorry for making Lily think that I’m some monster. I’m sorry that you have to deal with me, to be honest,” He harshly laughs. “I let my emotions get the better of me and I was just tired of him treating you two like that. I know my actions have spoken much louder than my words, but this is me telling you right now that nothing like this will ever happen again. I mean it, Tessa. I’m just so sorry.” He put his face into his hands and sighed, saying everything he wanted to.

 

“Well, thank you for apologizing. Both times,” She lightly chuckled. “I didn’t give you a chance to the first time. I was too caught up in the pain of Lily asking me that to even listen to you and you didn’t deserve that.”

 

“Yes, I did. I did then and I still do. I don’t know why you even brought me back here. Why would you want to get back with an aggressive and impulsive drunkie like me?”

 

There were so many follow up questions Tessa could ask after that, but she chose the one that she was the most curious about.

 

“How long were you drinking last night?”

 

“Tessa, I’ve been drinking every single night this past month.”

 

“Why would you do that? You’re going to kill yourself, Scott!”

 

“And why shouldn’t I?” He shouted as he abruptly stood up and turned around to look at her. “I fucked up the best relationship I’ve ever been in, I ruined my chances at ever being a father, and now look where I am. On a barstool every night getting plastered until the sun comes up. Tell me why I should even be standing here right now.”

 

“Hey, do not talk like that,” She stood up and put her hands on his face so that he would stop pacing around the room and look her in the eyes. “I don’t know what you see, but the man standing in front of me is the greatest and most selfless man I have ever met in my life. He may have made some mistakes-”

 

“Yeah, just a couple.”

 

“But, he wouldn’t be the man that I love without them.” It’s after she says this that he finally looks up to meet her eyes.

 

“You don’t mean that.”

 

“Scott, of course I do! Yeah, you made a mistake. But I did, too. I didn’t give you a chance to explain yourself. I was the one who put this wall up between us for a month and it’s my turn to apologize for that.” He brought his hands around hers, removing them from his face and keeping them in between their bodies.

 

“You have absolutely nothing to apologize for, Tess. You’re perfect.”

 

She lightly chuckled, still somehow managing to keep the tears that have been on the brink at bay.

 

“Definitely not. But, what do you say we try this again?”

 

“I would love that so much and I want that more than anything. But, I think I need a few days to just work through the last month and get myself on the right track. Is that okay?”

 

“Yes, of course. Whatever you need.” She dropped his hands, took a step back, and put her right hand out in front of him. He smiles as she sticks her hand out, “Hi Scott. I’m Tessa, Lily’s mom.” need.” He smiles as she sticks her hand out, “hi Scott, I’m Tessa, Lily’s mom.”

He smiled brightly and laughed at her, reciprocating her handshake. “Hello, Tessa. I can see where Lily gets her cuteness from.”

 

She smirks at him and pulls him in by their hands, using her left one to bring his head down to meet her lips. He takes his hand out of hers and places them around her waist, bringing her as close to him as he possibly could. They stood there and made out for what was hopefully forever before Tessa broke them apart.

 

“By the way… Tess?” She says, practically breathless.

 

“Huh?”

 

“You called me Tess. You’ve never called me anything but Tessa before.”

 

“Sorry, I can keep calling you Tessa if you don’t like it.” She shook her head with a giggle and brought his mouth to hers again for a peck.

 

“I don’t mind. I like it. Can I call you Scotty, then?”

 

He shakes his head firmly.

 

“That’s where I draw the line.”

 

They shared in a laugh before embracing in each other’s arms once again, feeling over the moon that they were finally back together. This was the longest month of their lives, but their plan was back on track at last, nothing could possibly go wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> … or could it?  
> come say hi to me @bettsvirtue ;)


	13. not a puzzle, but the missing piece

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!! I know it's been a while since I posted, but I hope this important (but tiny) chapter makes up for it!! leave lots and lots of comments and love

Scott stayed the night at Tessa’s house, content with having her in his arms once again. He woke up without her warm body occupying her side of the bed though, flipping over to read 8:32 A.M. on the alarm clock. He got out of bed and headed down the stairs to see her sitting at her dining room table, taking a break from typing on her computer to take a sip of coffee every few seconds. As he got closer to her, she moved her gaze from the screen to him, softly smiling as he leaned down to give her a peck.

 

“Good morning, beautiful.”

 

“Good morning, handsome. How did you sleep?”

 

“Best sleep in a long time.”

 

They were smiling at one another for a few seconds before a tiny voice from up the stairs started shouting.

 

“Mommy, where is my fuzzy pink blanket? I can’t find it anywhere!”

 

Scott turned from looking at the stairs to looking back at Tessa.

 

“I think you guys should have a chat. She deserves to know the truth. If you need me, I’ll be finishing my coffee upstairs.”

 

He nodded at her and wordlessly walked up the stairs to Lily’s room. He knocked on the half-open door three times before pushing it open to reveal his favorite little girl.

 

“Hi, Mr. Scott. Do you know where my pink blanket is?” He chuckled breathily before replying.

 

“I don’t. Do you think we could have a little talk before we look for it?”

 

“About what?”

 

“About everything that’s been happening the past few days.”

 

She nodded and moved from her closet to her bed, sitting down and patting the empty space next to her. He smiled and made his way to her twin sized bed and sat down.

 

“Lily, where do you think I was last weekend?”

 

“Mommy told me you went to jail, but I don’t know why.”

 

He sighed and looked down at the fiddling hands in his lap, choosing his next words carefully.

 

“I did go to jail. I went to jail because I hurt somebody.”

 

“Who was it?” She asked, hesitantly. Scott mimicked her hesitation in wanting to tell her who it was, but, like Tessa said, she deserved to know the truth. And this was it.

 

“Your dad.”

 

Her tiny eyes widened to just about as big as they could get.

 

“My dad? Brandon?”

 

Scott nodded.

 

“I only hurt him because he was hurting your mom and I hate seeing your mom sad.”

 

“He hurt my mom?”

 

Scott nodded once again.

 

“I don’t want you to think that I hurt your mom because I will never, ever, _ever_ do that. I am making you and your mom that promise.”

 

She stuck out her tiny hand, only her pinky finger protruding in his direction.

 

“Pinky promise?”

 

Scott laughed, in awe of just how sweet this little girl was. He put out his slightly bigger pinky and wrapped it around hers, solidifying their pact.

 

“Pinky promise.”

 

“Does this mean you’re my daddy now?”

 

Scott immediately dropped her finger out of his grasp and felt his heart immediately swell with love. He thought of himself as more and more of her father every day and he wasn’t sure how this bump in the road was going to make her feel about him. But the fact that she still loved him enough to want to be her dad had him over the moon.

 

“Do you want me to be your daddy?”

 

She shyly nodded and smiled up at him before saying the best two words Scott thinks he has ever heard in his life.

 

“Yes, please.”

 

He smiled back the widest smile he could give her, reaching down and wrapping her tiny body in the biggest hug. After embracing for just long enough (if that was even a thing), he got up and made his way to the door. He was about to leave, but a small voice behind him called his attention back.

 

“I love you, daddy.”

 

He turned around to meet his little girl’s eyes.

 

“I love you more, Lily.”

 

Scott closed the door behind him, walking to Tessa’s bedroom with his hand firmly over his mouth. He walked in to see her with her laptop on her legs, back resting against her cushioned headboard. He walked in further and flopped down face first onto the bed, shaking the bed with his sobs that he had been holding back. Tessa moved her laptop to her bedside table and began rubbing a hand up and down his back.

 

“Babe, what happened?” She could hear a muffled reply, not being able to understand what he said. “What?” He sat up to look at her, eyes red and cheeks soaked.

 

“She called me dad. She said she wanted me to be her dad.”

 

Tessa raised her eyebrows in question, Scott nodding in response. She smiled, finding that tears were threatening to leave her eyes as well. She reached up to grab his face and bring his mouth down to hers. He pushed them forward and he collapsed on top of her body, their mouths separating to share in a laugh together. The final missing piece of their puzzle was put in place at last. Brandon left a hole in their hearts that they weren’t sure would ever be filled again. But, in that ice rink in London, however many days ago, their missing piece showed up. Tessa and Lily’s missing piece was Scott, filling that gap that had been empty for too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holla @ me @bettsvirtue ;)


	14. you bring me home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I hate to say it, this is the final chapter! Thank you to anyone who ever read this, gave it kudos, and commented. This has been the most fun journey and thank you for inviting my versions of VM and my little Lily into your lives. There will be an epilogue after this that I am particularly proud of so make sure to stay tuned for that! Thanks so much again for reading and stay tuned for future works of mine!

Life had been better than it’s ever been before and Scott owes it all to Tessa and Lily. Tessa was the most understanding and caring person in the world, taking him back even though he screwed up worse than he could have ever imagined. And Lily had been calling Scott dad for two weeks now and he doesn’t know if or when he’ll ever get used to hearing that. People always told him that he would be a great father one day, and he wanted it more than anything, so finally being able to be a father was a dream come true.

 

The end of summer was right around the corner, meaning Lily was going back to school this year. She was going to “big girl school” this year, going into kindergarten at their local elementary school. Lily was so excited to be starting school again; she always loved making new friends, meeting her teachers, and of course, going school supply shopping for the cutest and most pink supplies she could find. Today was the day that Lily would be meeting her primary teacher and the other smaller subject teachers. Tessa obviously made sure Scott would be coming with them. He may not legally be Lily’s dad, but Tessa had fallen in love with the idea of their little family of three and she was prepared for every family event that they would have together in the future.

 

“Are you excited to meet your teachers, Lil?” That was Scott’s favorite nickname for her, as they learned.

 

“Yes! I hope they’re all nice to me.”

 

“Well, as long as you’re nice to them, they’ll be nice to you, right, bug?” That was Tessa’s favorite nickname.

 

“You’re right, daddy.”

 

Scott waited until he was at the next red light to turn around and shook a smile and a wink at his little girl. He then looked over in the passenger seat, giving Tessa the same love. He reached down and took the hand that was in her lap in his, intertwining their fingers to find that perfect fit that they always had. They continued their journey to school, content in their peaceful silence.

 

-

 

They spent a little over an hour at Lily’s school, shaking hands and introducing themselves to her teachers. They then went to the store to pick up all of the school supplies the list they were provided with said they needed for her. Long story short, their cart was filled with the pink version of just about everything, as long as the store carried it. The drive home consisted of them listening to whatever songs Lily chose, her current favorite being “Lost in Japan” by Shawn Mendes. Or, as she liked to call it, “the Japan song!” Their tiny house was getting bigger as they got closer to it, not without noticing someone standing on the walkway that led to the door. That same person that showed up at Tessa’s door all those weeks ago. The same person that was waiting outside of Vogue for Tessa to come back. The same Brandon that had been persistent in his efforts to completely ruin Tessa’s life had now been on her doorstep. Scott also noticed, stopping his car a good 6 car lengths away from her driveway. He put the car and park and took the keys out before starting to speak.

 

“How the hell does he know where you live?”

 

All Tessa could do in response was shake her head no and shrug her shoulders. You could have asked Tessa how he knew her whereabouts every time he pulled a stunt like this and her answer would have stayed the same: she had not one idea.

 

“Stay in the car with her, please. I can handle this.”

 

Scott did as she said, already learning his lesson from the last time he tried to fight one of Tessa’s battles. She walked out of the car and made her way over to him. She kept her phone in her right hand, Scott noticing that she quickly looked at it and pressed something before walking in front of him. She put her hands out in front of her and swung her arms out to the side as if to say, ‘You got me where you want me.’

 

“Well, I’m not going to stand here and remind you that I have a restraining order against you. I know you know that. So, I’m right here, Brandon. Tell me what you want.”

 

Instead of acknowledging her, he chooses to nod his head in the direction of their car instead.

 

“You’re still with that idiot?”

 

“Don’t you dare talk about him that way.”

 

“Tess, you’re delusional for thinking that it’s going to work out with him.” Just to egg him on even more, Tessa takes a single step closer to him.

 

“Oh, yeah? And why is that?” He chuckled before replying.

 

“You’re going to drive him away and ruin everything. Like you always do.”

 

She took another step closer. She wouldn’t even have to extend her arm all the way to touch him at this point. Scott watched anxiously, hands gripping the steering wheel, painting his knuckles white.

 

“He has loved me in just a few months better than you did for however long we knew each other. He showed me what love is more than you ever could have. Actually, if I’m being honest, Brandon, I want to thank you.” He gave her the biggest shit-eating grin she thinks she’s ever seen in her life.

 

“Finally coming to your senses, eh? What are you thanking me about this time?”

 

“For treating me so poorly that I kicked you out. Without that, I would have never met Scott and felt as much love as I do now. Thank you for finally making me understand how strong I am,” she gets less than a foot apart from him now, whispering her last words to him. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”

 

Brandon decided that she was far too close to him, forcefully pushing at both of her shoulders and knocking her to the grass beneath her. He noticed that she leaned her head into her phone before picking it back up to look forward at him. Scott had seen enough, jumping out of the car and sprinting towards Tessa’s body on the ground (not without telling Lily to stay in the car, of course). He knelt down to be as close to her as possible and brushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face.

 

“Are you okay, baby? Did he hurt you?”

 

“No, I’m fine. Don’t do anything to him, Scott.” She whispered that last part too, eyes softening as she spoke. He nodded at her and quickly pressed a kiss to her hair before standing up to meet Brandon once again.

 

“Look who is out from behind bars!”

 

“Fuck you.”

 

“Hey, watch it, brother. I thought she kicked you out in the first place for being too aggressive. Don’t want to get to strike two because after that… you know how baseball works.” How he knew that Tessa had kicked him out was beyond both of them, although, he pressed on.

 

“How many times of the both of us telling you to leave us alone is it going to take, huh? How much more does that thick skull of yours need?” Scott replied, feeling as bold as ever.

 

“Oh wow, look who’s getting feisty. You better watch it, twinkle toes. I’ll make you regret ever saying that shit to me.”

 

“I would love to see you try.”

 

Deciding that he would show him exactly what he said he would, Brandon lunged forward, his fist (thankfully) missing his face, but harshly connecting with his nose before he fell to the ground. He started to feel moisture on his upper lip, bringing his fingers to his face and touching the blood that had started to form there. Scott obviously couldn’t attack Brandon again, but sitting on the floor helpless was certainly not helping his cause. Tessa started to crawl towards him, sitting up to take off her black cardigan to use it to soak up the blood.

 

“Babe, are you alright?”

 

“Yeah, I am. I just don’t know what to do about him.”

 

“Me either. I-”

 

“Leave my daddy alone!”

 

They heard the sound of footsteps stomping towards them and just knew that Lily would not sit here and let her parents take a beating like this. While their biggest concern right now was her safety, hence wanting her to stay in the car, she was the bravest 5-year-old that either of them had ever met. She was bound to have a say in this. Brandon laughed at what Lily said.

 

“Who? This guy?” He haphazardly waves his hand in Scott’s direction.

 

“Yes. Scott is my daddy. Not you.”

 

Brandon doesn’t say anything to this, just starts creepily walking towards Lily, somehow simultaneously slow and fast. Scott starts to stand up to grab her out of his sight, Tessa pushing him back down before he could do anything.

 

“Just wait.”

 

“Wait for what? He’s about to-”

 

“Wait.” Tessa said more firmly than last time. Scott chose to listen and planned to give it 5 seconds more at the max before he made a move. As the four second mark hit, the sound of sirens began to get increasingly louder and closer to them. Brandon and Lily heard them too, both freezing in place to look in the direction of the approaching police cars. They came to a screeching halt in front of their house. As soon as they got out and pointed their guns at Brandon, instructing him to put his hands up, Scott got up to grab Lily and bring her close to him. She wrapped her short arms around his neck, clearly scared, but never letting it show. She was just like her mother.

 

“Are you okay, sweet girl?”

 

“Yes, I’m fine, dad. Is your nose okay?” He laughed at how she always put other people before herself. She got that from her mom, too.

 

“I’ll be fine, bug. We’ll be fine,” Scott wrapped an arm around Tessa. “How did the police know something was wrong?”

 

“I called 911 before I walked out of the car and just let them listen. When I fell, I told them to ‘please hurry’ and they came. When I said I was done with him ruining my life, I meant it.”

 

At this, Scott leaned down to plant a quick kiss to her lips. How the Virtue women were so strong was something that baffled him every single day. But now, Brandon was finally getting taken out of their lives and they could be at peace with one another once again. They had been through more in a few months than most people would ever go through in their entire lives, but they were going to be fine. Nothing could break the bond that the three of them had and they would love to see anybody try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an epilogue is coming! follow me @bettsvirtue to know exactly when it does. thank you again to everyone for reading this and it has been the pleasure of my life to write for you guys!!  
> (sidenote, 100 points to anyone who can tell me what song the title of this chapter is based off of)


	15. where it all began

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know if you guys remember Scott being Lily’s coach way back in chapter 1, but… I think it’s about time they got back to what brought them together in the first place.   
> Please enjoy and thank you for sticking with this story until the very end!

  1. The Olympics were being held in Quebec City this year, the 5 rings finally making their way back into the great white north. The ladies free skate was rapidly approaching, mere minutes until the first of the competitors would take the ice. She drew last, her coach continuously reminding her that “it’s exactly where you want to be. Make sure they remember you.” She was pacing back and forth next to the door to lead her onto the ice. The last of the tiny ice skaters picked up all of the flowers and toys that were dropped following the previous skaters’ performance which meant only one thing. She was next. The ice was clear and waiting, the judges were about to take out her score sheet, the announcer was preparing to announce her name to the crowd. She could feel all eyes in the arena on her, although two pairs of searing green ones were felt deeper than any other. She quit pacing only for a moment to take off her skate guards and zip-up Team Canada jacket to hand them to her coach.



 

“Nervous?”

 

She nodded, then shrugged.

 

“Of course, but I know what I have to do. Make them remember me.”

 

“That’s my girl.” Scott embraced Lily one final time, her planting a kiss on his cheek for good measure. “Go get ‘em, bug.”

 

She smiled at him, turned around, and took the 5 steps necessary to walk on to the ice, skating around the perimeter and shaking out her limbs, preparing herself.

 

“On the ice, representing Canada, Lily Virtue-Moir!”

 

The crowd erupted. Nothing like being the very last to skate in your home country at your first Olympics. She took her mark at center ice, arms outstretched on either side like a butterfly, being vaguely reminded of the time she did this when she was just 5 years old, never expecting to be standing in center ice at the Olympics.

 

After deciding that skating was something she wanted to pursue professionally, her parents could not be prouder of her. But, the most important part of the whole process was finding a coach. Scott would have put himself out there right away, but he didn’t want to pressure Lily into picking him only because he was her dad. She met around 4 other coaches before coming home one day and breaking the news to him.

 

_“So, did you meet your new coach today?”_

_“No, I actually met him a long time ago. I think I remember him being the first coach I ever had.”_

_He stared at her as if to say, “Are you serious?” and “This better not be a joke” somehow simultaneously. She nodded back at him with a smile and he grabbed her by the shoulders for the squishiest hug she thinks he ever gave her._

_“Oh, Lily, thank you so much. I promise I won’t let you down.”_

_“Never, you couldn’t. Now, I think we have an Olympics to train for.”_

-

 

A split second of silence engulfs the arena before it erupts back into the same cheers that filled it before she started. Her arms and legs were filled with goosebumps, due to both the tears that threatened to fall and the unfortunate temperature of the sport that she chose. She had just skated the program of her life. If there was a flaw, nobody in that crowd would have been able to spot it. She began to skate to where Scott was standing at the boards before picking up a bouquet of red roses, knowing exactly what she wanted to do with them. He picked her up and spun her around the second she was in his grasp.

 

“I am so proud of you, Lily. You could not have done any better.”

 

She was absolutely speechless, her only response being a mixture of laughter and crying. She put her jacket and guards back on and scanned her eyes around the crowd, looking for the loudest people in the arena that day. She was of course sitting in the front row, Scott helping lift Lily up so she could hand her mom the flowers and so Tessa could wrap her arms around her little girl.

 

“I’m so proud of you, sweet girl. You did incredible.”

 

Lily shyly thanked her mom for her praise, a smaller body pushing his mom out of the way to hug his big sister.

 

“Great job, L. You killed that.”

 

“Thank you, Colin.”

 

Colin Virtue-Moir was born when Lily was 9, about two years after Tessa and Scott tied the knot. The day that Lily was given a baby brother was the best day of her life, having an automatic best friend for the rest of her life. Not to mention, he was the most supportive of her skating career. Lily was pretty sure that Colin was even more excited that she made it into the Olympics than she was. Having her family as her number one support system brought her more joy than anything else.

 

Scott helped Lily down and shot his wife and son a wink as they walked to the kiss and cry. She looked up at the screen and saw herself on it, meaning that she was on the camera.

 

“Hi, mom and Colin! Hi Ontario! Thank you, dad.” She ended her statement with a side hug for her dad and he responded with a kiss to the top of her head. She (not so) patiently waited for her score to pop up on the screen.

 

“The scores please.”

 

Silence.

 

“Lily Virtue-Moir has earned in the free program…”

 

Inhale.

 

“153.54, a new season’s best. That makes for a total score of 236.51 points and she is currently in first place.”

 

Exhale.

 

The crowd began to yell. Lily didn’t know what else to do but put her head in her hands and cry. Years of hard work and tears had finally paid off. She did it. She won a gold medal at her very first Olympics. Scott shot in the air immediately and lifted his daughter up, spinning her around in happiness.

 

“I can’t believe this, Lily! You did it!”

 

“ _We_ did it. Thank you so much.” She whispered in return. He put her down and she began to wave to everyone in the arena, not a single person sitting in their seat.

 

5-year-old Lily never expected to get to this point. Of course, the Olympics was always a dream of hers, but it seemed so unachievable at the time that she almost pushed it out of her mind completely. Almost. And now, she was standing on the highest stair on the podium, gold medal around her neck, tears in her eyes. Everything that happened in her life, every altercation with her father, every injury from skating, every argument with Scott about how she was skating, none of it mattered anymore. Nothing mattered as long as she had Scott, Tessa, and Colin cheering her on. They always told her to put family first, and she always had. The gold medal was just the icing on the cake. No matter what happened, her family was always going to be by her side, through and through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me @bettsvirtue to see the next story that I post!! thank you all for reading!!


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